Lost in the Shadows
by Injunuity89
Summary: When Henry is kidnapped by Greg and Tamara, he was supposed to wind up in Neverland, but what if that didn't happen? Instead, Henry finds himself in a strange, yet familiar realm, and soon after he meets a young boy by the name of Anakin Skywalker. (Nanowrimo 2017 - 2018 winner!) Cover by RoseamBarnett Please read and review!
1. Prologue

**Lost in the Shadows**

by

 **Injunuity89**

 _Prologue..._

Eleven year old Henry Mills ran with his grandparents and his mother Emma towards the mines underneath Storybrooke. He just had to reach his mom, Regina. If the whole entire town was going to be destroyed, at least they could be together. That thought was in the back of his mind as his backpack banged against his back. The cold air bit in to his face as he continued to follow along on the heels of his Grandpa, Prince Charming. Over and over he kept replaying the scene in the diner in his head. It seemed as if everyone was okay with leaving his mom there to be killed! They saved her from the Wraith for crying out loud. This whole instance was no different than that! At least Mary Margaret had been willing to do the right thing, and her words and courage had been like the falling of small stones which had started an avalanche of belief in the diner.

Greg Mindel and Tamara; two relatively newcomers to the town were hellbent on destroying it; Storybrooke. First, they kidnapped Regina and tortured her and then they set off some sort of fail-safe that was supposed to do their dirty work for them. Henry didn't understand a whole lot about this fail-safe, other than the simple fact that it was going to destroy the entirety of the town. Maybe it was enough not really understanding the statistics of it all.

It just wasn't fair though! Neal was supposed to help him with a model he had been working on in his spare time. However, now he couldn't because his father had been shot and killed by that evil witch Tamara! The model...it was a replica of Anakin Skywalker's Pod from Star Wars Episode 1. Neal had bought him the model before they had left New York and had promised that the two of them would work on it; when they weren't practicing with the wooden swords or saving the town of Storybrooke, that is. His father had wanted him to at least have a tiny bit of normalcy in his life. He was too old for coloring books, and he couldn't be learning sword fighting all of the time, so building plastic models was a nice compromise.

Shaking his head, Henry gritted his teeth as he and his family powered in to the mine. It was dark and it smelled like dirt and oil and some other unmentionables. However, in the distance he could hear a hum. As he and the others got closer, they all could see a light that seemed to go with the hum. Standing over a glowing blue diamond shaped crystal was non other than Regina herself; hands in the air around the glowing diamond, trying to use her magic to contain the crystal's energy.

Seeing them, she asked, "What are you doing here?!" Henry could tell by the look in her eyes that his mother was shocked and scared. Still that didn't stop him from speaking up. "You were willing to die to save us. That makes you a hero. And now we are going to be heroes." Regina shook her head. She couldn't let that happen! She had to protect Henry at all cost and damn the consequences! "No...!" she softly exclaimed, still not daring to lower her hands and let the crystal's energy loose.

"We are going to open a portal and throw this thing in to a void," Prince Charming explained as calmly as he could, gesturing to the thing that Regina was trying to protect them from.

"No! You don't know that it will work!" she shot back. "We have to try." Snow White proclaimed with a shake of her head. She understood Regina's concern but at the same time they couldn't stand by and do nothing while Storybrooke died.

All were silent for a few minutes; Snow looking in to Regina's eyes and Regina looking back with a few small tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally the moment passed and Charming decided that was as good as an 'alright' from the Queen.

"Alright, we'll step aside," he said, ushering Snow and Henry off to the side so his daughter Emma could get the magic bean from the pouch that Captain Hook had given her. It was supposed to be quick. All Emma had to do was take the bean out and throw it and the portal would open! So, why was it taking so long?!

"What?" Prince Charming asked. Slowly, Emma turned around. Shock, terror and surprise were all written over her face as she exclaimed, "It's empty!" She had seen the bean go in to the pouch, she had seen the thing get sealed up so who...?!

"Hook..." she whispered.

Slowly, a minute ticked by and then another and another. Regina's hands were starting to shake from the strain and a few more tears came rolling down her cheeks.

"I can't contain this much longer..." she whimpered, doing her best to sound brave, her whole body starting to shake. Emma looked from the glowing crystal to Regina's face. The look of sadness was clear to see and it was then that Emma broke down. They were all going to die except Henry. It was over...good had finally lost.

With tears filling her eyes, Emma looked to her father Prince Charming and her mother, Snow White. Shuffling over to them she looked in to their eyes with tears rolling down hers. "Mom...dad...!" she exclaimed, voice breaking. Now at the end she wished she could take everything back. All her life she had wanted a family and then when she discovered who her parents were, well, that reunion could have gone better. Now though it didn't seem to matter. Nothing seemed to matter at the end, other than being with her family.

Young Henry closed his eyes and allowed himself to be embraced by his mother and his grandparents. It was goodbye, but why?! Opening his eyes he looked through the arms of his grandfather to look upon his adoptive mother, Regina, who was staring back at him with regret and sadness written all over her face.

Tearing himself away, Henry walked over to his mother, studying her closely. "I love you Henry," she said. "I wish I was strong enough to stop all this, I'm just not...!"

Holding back a whimper, Henry threw his arms around his mother and hugged her as tightly as he could. Even though he wished that Regina could hug him back, he understood why she couldn't. But...no, it couldn't all end like this! Why hadn't he taken his mom's offer?! Why hadn't he learned magic?! At the time he hadn't wanted to end up like her; yes, that was his reasoning, and in a way it was still valid, but if he had learned magic he could at least do his part to try and help his mom contain the crystal's magic instead of just hugging her like, well...like a human!

"You may not be strong enough..."

Emma's voice caused Henry to open his eyes, release his mom and step away from her. Had Emma come up with some sort of last minute idea that could save them?

"But maybe _we_ are."

It only took a moment for understanding to flow between all of the occupants of the mine. Quickly, Henry, Snow and Charming headed just around the corner while Emma stepped up to the other side of the glowing crystal. She was the Savior after all; she had magic and she had broken the initial curse that had sent them all there. Maybe, just maybe she could help Regina stop this 'fail-safe' from going off.

Steadying her breathing, Emma looked down at the crystal as she slowly raised her hands; palms down and fingers outstretched. She focused on the magic she believed was inside of her, willing it to come forth and wrap around the crystal. Stopping it, that really was all that was flowing through her mind. Suddenly, energy from the crystal seemed to flow like lightning bolts in to her hands! It scared Emma and the pain of it was a hundred times worse than the worse shock she had ever received in her life, but she kept going.

A small smile from Regina was enough to tell Emma that it was working. Still, the energy from the crystal was enormous. Emma felt it trying to escape but no! She wasn't going to let it! With the last of her reserves, she threw all of her energy through her fingers at the crystal and then...!

There was a small explosion it seemed like. A giant burst of energy threw Emma and Regina back away from the crystal; the resulting shockwave also tossing Snow, Charming and Henry back as well. It knocked all five of them out and in the absolute stillness of the cave, the crystal dropped down on to the stone, it's energy totally spent. Storybrooke was saved!

Shortly after the explosion however, two people entered the mines and came upon the unconscious figures.

"They stopped it..." Greg Mindel snarled, "I don't know how but they stopped it!" He had set the fail safe off to begin with. Magic had to be wiped from the face of the Earth! Magic was everywhere; it was a poison that the world wasn't designed to contain or harbor. This fail safe was supposed to be unstoppable. That's what their home office had told them, and yet...! There it lay on that slab of rock just as if it had never been used at all.

"Enough!"

Greg looked at Tamara who was looking at the unconscious forms before her. Oh, how she wished she could shoot each and every one of them, but no. They still had a job to do and if they couldn't destroy Storybrooke, well...they could at least fulfill their secondary mission.

"This is the one the home office wants," she said, kneeling down in front of Henry. "The Home Office wanted Storybrooke destroyed but they were also looking for him. One out of two objectives isn't bad."

Sighing, Greg nodded his head. He wanted Regina to pay for killing his father, but maybe this was the only way to make her pay. She had taken away his father when he was even younger than Henry. Now, he could take away her son! It wouldn't make them even but at least it could be just a bit of vengeance.

Bending down he grabbed on to the unconscious youth and picked him up off of the mine floor. "Right, come on. They could be waking up soon. We need to be out of here when they do." Turning, he and Tamara left the mine; their ultimate prize in hand. As they walked, neither Greg nor Tamara noticed Henry's backpack slip off of his shoulders and hit the ground.

Once out of the mines, Henry started to stir. He groaned and started to squirm around, so much so that Greg had to put him down on the ground for a moment.

"Wha...what are you doing here? What's going on?" He asked. In answer, Greg grabbed his hands and secured them together with a thick ziptie. Rope really was so overrated these days!

"Come on..." he said, once Henry was secure. They had to hurry. If Henry was up, the others could be as well. Struggling, Henry tried to pull back; tried to escape, but with Greg holding on to one arm, and Tamara holding on to the other, that made escape impossible.

They started marching as fast as they could. Just where were they headed? They were close to the docks, that much was obvious. Henry saw the Cannery and a few storage buildings, but they were heading past those.

"Relax kid, we're not going to hurt you," Tamara said, releasing Henry's shoulder and walking a pace and a half a head.

"Just everyone I love! You tried to blow up Storybrooke!" Henry shot back, still continuing to struggle against Greg.

"True," Tamara replied, glancing back with a smirk on her face "but that was never the point!"

Hearing that, Henry fell silent for a moment, totally confused. If they didn't come to the town to destroy it...then why did they come?

Looking from Tamara to Greg and back, Henry asked, "It wasn't?"

"We came here to destroy magic Henry. But then we found something more important. Something that changed everything." Greg said, pulling Henry's arm and causing him to stop so he could look in to the boy's eyes.

"You..."

Henry searched his captor's face, seeing the truth and determination in them. That's when it hit him. Everything that had happened; Regina getting kidnapped and tortured, his own father getting shot and killed, the fail safe being set off...it was all a great big distraction to get...him! Eyes widening, he started to struggle even more but Greg only smiled ever so slightly as they all began to walk once more.

He began to wonder just how they planned to get him out of Storybrooke. He didn't see any vehicles nearby, nor any boats tied up at the docks; at least not any boats that looked to be fast enough for his captor's purposes. But wait...why were they heading towards the water?!

Reaching the edge of the pier they all stopped. What? Were Greg and Tamara planning on throwing him in and watching him drown or something?! That was it wasn't it? Greg was so angry at his mom so as revenge he would kill a small child?!

Seeing Greg dip a hand in to a pocket and pull out something, all Henry saw was something small and shiny. A bean! A magic bean! It had to be!

"HENRY!"

Hearing his name, Henry managed a glance behind him to see his family running towards him with everything they had. All he had to do was stall Greg for a few moments to allow Emma and Regina and the others to catch up.

"No!" He exclaimed, latching on to Greg's hands even though his own hands were still fastened together. "You aren't taking me...!" It must have been surprise on Greg's part because suddenly Henry felt the bean in his inclosed fist. However, that momentary feeling was gone as he felt frantic tugging from his captor.

"No! Stop it! Storybrooke is my home...!" The lad exclaimed! He continued to struggle as his arms and hands were wrenched this way and that but within seconds he felt his shoulders wrenched forward as the bean sailed out in to the water with a plop. Moments later the water started turning as the portal opened up beneath them.

"No! Wait!" Henry begged when hands grabbed on his shoulders once more, "MOM!" However, it was too late. Greg and Tamara jumped in to the portal, taking Henry with them, and by the time Emma and the others reached the pier, the portal had already closed as if it had never been open before. Henry Mills was gone.


	2. Chapter One - The Arrival

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter One – The Arrival_

The flashing lights were all around him and it was almost as if they wouldn't stop. Lights, not to mention the sensation of falling. Hell, Greg and Tamara had jumped _in_ to a portal so perhaps the laws of gravity still applied and they were all actually falling? Honestly, just trying to understand portal dynamics made his young head hurt. Just when was this unwelcome joy ride supposed to be over?! All of a sudden the flashing green lights stopped and he roughly impacted something...warm? Yes, warm and grainy.

 _'Okay, that hurt...'_ he thought to himself. Blinking, Henry had to squint to look around, due to the sheer brightness of the world around him. There was sand everywhere as far as the eye could see in all directions. Mountains and sand dunes were also there as well but they were off in the distance. So...just where the hell had his captors taken him? The Sahara Desert? Agrabah? Hell...what about Arrakis?! No, wait. It couldn't be Arrakis because that desert world didn't exist. It couldn't exist because it was from a work of fiction: _Dune_ by Frank Herbert. There was no real evidence that anyone or anything from _Dune_ was real; only the stories in his fairy tale book...and Dr. Whale of course.

Scrambling to his feet, Henry glanced back behind him to see Greg headed his way. Oh great! Fantastic! Quickly the young lad tried to run but his feet only started to slip in the loose sand of whatever hellhole he had been taken to.

"Nuh ah ah ah..." Greg began, grabbing the hood of Henry's coat which the boy so terribly wished he wasn't wearing anymore. "Slow down pal. You gotta know where to go." Looking in to his captor's eyes for a moment, Henry was still and silent before he lowered his gaze and nodded his head. He wouldn't try to run, at least not yet.

Seemingly taking Henry's nod as an agreement not to run, Greg released his grip on the boy's hood.

"We made it! Mission accomplished." Tamara chimed in with a happy little sigh. They had escaped Storybrooke with their prize and the portal had already closed behind them. There was absolutely no way for Emma and her sorry family to follow them. Hell, if luck was on their side, they wouldn't even know where to go even if they had a magic bean with which to open up another portal!

"Are you sure about that?" Henry asked, starting to sweat due to the stifling heat of the desert they were in. "Because my mom is coming to get me: both of them."

"Yeah, well you might want to take a look around kid," Greg pointed out as he took a few steps closer to the lad, "You see any clock towers? You are a long way from Storybrooke."

"It doesn't matter!" Henry insisted, "My family has been to the Enchanted Forest before and Regina knows how to get to Agrabah, so they can get here again."

He looked between the two adults who surprisingly didn't look like they were fearful at all. In fact, it almost looked as if they were quite smug and relaxed!

"Well we aren't in the Enchanted Forest...and we certainly aren't in Agrabah either. This is Neverland." Tamara explained with a sure look to her face.

"Neverland?" Henry asked, "You are here to destroy Neverland?" "It's the motherload of magic," Tamara replied, "Oh, where's the communicator? We need to signal the home office." As Greg handed the communicator to Tamara, Henry took another good look around as he mulled over everything that had been said. Then it hit him. Since when did Neverland have _this_ much beach front property? He had seen the animated Disney film countless times and had read the story before, so he knew that Neverland was an island, so yes there was bound to be sand there but this? This wasn't a beach, no this was a _desert_ and as far as he knew, there were absolutely no deserts in Neverland.

"An office in the desert?" Henry finally asked, seemingly not impressed. "Who works there?"

"Who we work for is not your concern, kid." Greg shot back! "Just know that they take care of us."

"Do they?" Henry asked, "Did they tell you how to get back home after you destroy magic?" Greg leaned down and looked the boy straight in the eyes so that there would be no misunderstanding. "We don't ask questions. We just believe in our cause."

Henry said nothing in reply, he just continued to look at his captor with annoyance. Thankfully Tamara spoke up; a hint of worry and concern in her voice. It was something to do with the communicator. It wasn't working. Intrigued, Henry turned his attention to the device as Greg opened the back to reveal...nothing but sand. Okay, yes they had landed in a vast, hot desert, but even so there was no possible way for batteries to be turned in to sand unless...unless they were never real batteries to begin with.

"It's a good thing you two don't ask any questions..." Henry said, not entirely sure what to make of the toy communications device. Had his captors been double crossed? Were they playing him? They didn't seem to be playing him for a sucker as Tamara genuinely looked concerned.

"Come on...walk...!" Greg said, ending the debate as he pushed Henry forward, forcing the lad to walk. Deep down Henry was scared and worried. Obviously it wasn't going entirely to plan and being out in the elements like these...they needed to find shade and fast or risk dehydration, but something told him that that was the last thing on his captors' minds.

…

The going was hard. For every foot he managed to place in front of him, it was as if the sand pushed him back two to three steps more. Henry was drenched in sweat. His clothes stuck to him and his cheeks were bright red. On their last stop, Greg had actually cut his zip tie loose just so Henry could remove his coat and scarf and anything else winter related. However, after it was all off, a fresh zip tie was placed on his hands; precaution, as it was explained to him.

"We'll stop here and rest. The sun...suns? Are going down," Greg said as he stopped in front of a rocky dune.

Confused, Henry squinted and looked to the sky. Sure enough there were two golden suns blazing overhead, well on their way to the horizon.

Desert, twin suns...now, what did that remind him of?! Shrugging it off, Henry eased himself down on to the rock face, eying Greg who was moving around, looking for firewood. Really? Firewood?! Just where was Greg expecting to get any firewood? There was nothing around that was flammable. There was only sand and rock and more sand! There wasn't even any vegetation!

"Here..."

Looking up, Henry discovered Tamara who was holding out an unopened Jack Link's Beef Jerky Link towards him. After a bit of hesitation, Henry reached out and took it. "Thanks," he said, finding that the package seal had already been opened so that all he had to do was pull back on the plastic.

Just after he took his first bite he paused. Just why was it so quiet all of a sudden? He looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary but still there was that feeling that he was being watched!

Tamara must have sensed too because she slowly stood up and gestured Henry over to her. At first Henry wasn't going to go over to her, but something inside of him told him to do it.

"Greg..." Tamara warned as Henry stood up and moved to stand behind her. There was something out there, that was for sure, only, Henry couldn't see it. He watched Greg look at them and that's when it happened. One minute there was nothing but silence and the next...? There was shouting and screaming and...? Well, Henry didn't know how to describe the other sound he was hearing. It was like a desert animal; a camel maybe, mixed with something ferocious. There were creatures clad in desert gear running straight at Greg and Tamara and a few were already over the man, beating him with strange looking stick like weapons. The creatures were bipedal; small but bipedal. They wore dirty robe like garments and their heads were completely covered; well, wrapped almost, in what could be constituted like a mask, and their eyes? Well, to Henry it looked like the eyes were the remnants of old WWII gas masks, only, they weren't on Earth so there was no way in hell it could be those.

That's when it hit the boy like a bolt of lightning. "That's...im...possible..." he whispered, not believing what his eyes were telling him. Tusken Raiders. The beings that he was seeing were Tusken Raiders! Which meant he wasn't on Neverland at all; of course he never truly thought he was, but instead he was on... _Tatooine?!_ He didn't have time to stare in awe at anything before Tamara turned to look at him.

"There are too many of them!" She warned him. It was true. There were at least twenty five to thirty Sand People. Some had gone after Greg and the others were closing in on the other two.

"Tamara!" Henry exclaimed, "These are Sand People, like from Star Wars!" He remembered something from the fourth film: Sand People are easily startled. If only there was something that could make a loud noise!

A chilling scream caused the boy to jump a little and stumble backwards. The scream had come from Greg. Given how blood curdling it had been there really could only be one explanation: Greg was now dead.

"Run!" Tamara instructed, "I will hold these things off for as long as I can! But, you need to run!" Nodding, Henry took off, dashing up the small trail even as Tamara took out her gun which only have four bullets left.

Even as a shot rang out in the void, Henry kept on running. He was almost at the top when a large Tusken Raider jumped out in front of him and raised it's Gaffi Stick up in the air, followed by that cry the Sand People normally gave. Henry gasped and jumped back; foot sliding as he lost his balance and fell. He was already out before the Sand People swarmed all over his unconscious form.


	3. Chapter Two - Out of the Frying Pan

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Two: Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Wasteland_

The feeling of something cold and wet running down his face was enough to bring young Henry Mills back to the land of the conscious. Honestly though, it hurt a little. The side of his head felt like it had been used for batting practice and his hands and his back felt like it had been torn to shreds; well, at least it felt like that in between the intermittent tingling sensation.

"I know it hurts," a young female voice said from the fading darkness, "But you need to be still."

Opening up his eyes, brown eyes stared at beautiful ocean blue ones. Those beautiful blue eyes belonged to a twelve to thirteen year old golden brown haired beauty with rosy cheeks and what looked like a fine sheen of dirt all over.

Seeing he was awake and alert, the girl put down the wet rag she had in her hand, and smiled at him. "Hi," she greeted ever so kindly. "I'm Lyara."

"Henry," the young boy groaned in response, forcing himself to sit up against the rock that was in the weird looking hut he found himself in.

"Henry?" Lyara asked, "Strange name! Strange name for a strange boy. I've never seen garb like this before," she touched his red shirt for a moment, "It's not very practical for the Dune Sea. I bet that you don't come from here, do you?"

Henry looked down at himself. Strange; his coat and scarf were gone as was the ziptie that had been binding his hands. He only wore his red button down shirt that his mother Regina and gotten him, his jeans and of course his shoes.

Checking himself over gave him the necessary time to think about how he should answer. So, it was confirmed then: He wasn't in the Enchanted Forest and definitely not in Storybrooke. That magical bean had somehow, some way taken him in to the _Star Wars Universe_ and had dropped him down on Tatooine of all places! He wanted to stop and dwell on that little tidbit for a minute, but Henry knew that he couldn't. He was on Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker's home planet. A lot of things happened there and could happen there, which made him wonder just _when_ did the bean drop him? Was he on the planet after The Phantom Menace? Had that awesome Podrace already happened and a young Anakin Skywalker already gone with the Jedi? Or, was Luke doing chores at his Uncle's moisture farm on the other side of Mos Eisley? Or then again, was he somehow on Tatooine many, many years after all of that happened? He didn't know how to ask such a question, so he just shoved it to the back of his mind for the present. Hopefully he would be able to find out himself later on.

Realizing that Lyara was still waiting for an answer, Henry shrugged his shoulders. "That obvious?" he asked. "I was taken away from my home; my parents, and dropped here on Tatooine by accident I think. By the time my kidnappers realized their mistake, those Tusken Raiders found us." He decided to be as vague as he possibly could with his answer. The girl didn't need to know he was from another realm all together; nor did she need to know about magic beans and portals. It would probably just confuse her anyway, so why bother trying to explain it to her?

"I'm sorry," Lyara said, "Do you think your parents will ever find you?" Once again Henry shrugged his shoulders. "I hope so," he began, "but..." He didn't really want to say that he doubted it, but it was the truth! He wasn't in the Enchanted Forest, he wasn't in Neverland, so really how in the world would his mother; either of them, think to suggest he was on Tatooine?! It wasn't like they would know he even liked _Star Wars_ to begin with. Hell, it had been his own father, Neal, who had introduced him to it. Sure, Henry had heard of it before, but Neal had been the one to show him _A New Hope_ during one of their outings in New York, before they had gone back to Storybrooke because Mr. Gold had gotten mortally wounded by Captain Hook, and the rest as they say, is history. Henry had secretly bought all of the movies; at least the live action ones, off of Amazon and had hidden them in his room, along with the one comic and the model that Neal had given him. Why had he done so? Well, that was simple: he didn't want anyone to think he was getting tired of his storybook. Hell, if it wasn't for that thing he never would have figured out who and what Emma was. He would still be trapped in Storybrooke; the only one aging and the only one who felt like something was wrong.

"But what?" Lyara asked. Realizing that he hadn't given her an answer yet, Henry heaved a small sigh. "There's no way that my mom would think to look for me here," he said, lowering his gaze. Seeing that the boy was hurt and sad, Lyara put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Henry replied after a few moments. He didn't want to dwell on the feeling of depression that was coursing through him. He would never truly give up hope but a part of him wanted to, now that he knew where he was.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Me?" Lyara shot back, "I was born on Coruscant; me and my twin brother Ari. He was taken when he was only two months old. Jedi Knights came, told my mom and dad that Ari had this destiny ahead of him and that they shouldn't hold him back, so mom and dad just gave Ari to those Jedi. I was six when a bounty hunter came after my father and gave him two choices: pay up or I'd be taken."

Curious, Henry asked, "What did your father choose?"

"He let the bounty hunter take me," Lyara replied with a hurt expression on her face. "He promised that he'd raise the credits to set me free again but...it's been six years. I stopped believing he would come for me when I was eight."

"So...how'd you get here?" Henry asked, meaning the Tusken Raider camp. He watched Lyara stand up and fold her arms across her chest as she moved to the hut flap entrance.

"I'm not a prisoner..." she said rather abruptly. "Neither are you," Lyara glanced back at Henry who looked at her questioningly.

"There is a Tusken Raider here; I call her mother. She saw the binds on your hands so she set you free. She does that to the young or the hurt humans that the tribe attacks. When my former master attacked the tribe for stealing a valuable item, they killed him but mother? She saw me for what I was: a helpless slave. She set me free and they even were able to remove the transmitter holding me to the planet. When mother saw you she saw that you were hurt and a prisoner; just like I was. She only wants to help you."

Henry blinked. He wasn't expecting that at all. He hadn't done too much studying up on all of the creatures but he had always thought that the Tusken Raiders tried to kill pretty much anyone and everyone that they saw. He had never heard of them sparing lives before.

"What about..." he paused, "What about leaving? What if I didn't want to stay with the Raiders?"

"Mother would be disappointed, but she wouldn't stop you. As I said, you aren't a prisoner. You are free to go whenever you want to. Where would you go though? The only two spaceports are Mos Eisley and Mos Espa. And, why would you want to leave? Here you can have a family," Lyara said.

"I know," Henry replied, "but...well...maybe someone in Mos Espa or Mos Eisley will know how I can get back home." It really was a long shot but something he was willing to do. Tusken Raiders weren't space savvy, that was for sure. No, if he had any sort of hope for getting back to Storybrooke, he would have to leave the Raider camp.

Lyara sighed and nodded her head. "I understand," she said with a smile, "And mother will too. You have to follow your heart wherever it leads you; that's something she tells me every day. I wish you luck and I would be happy to take you to Mos Espa or Mos Eisley, whichever you want. Just know that if you change your mind, you will always be welcome here."

Henry nodded and smiled before he he stood up and brushed himself off. Man, he was so damn filthy! What he wouldn't give for a nice, hot shower!

"When do we leave?" he asked, a little anxious to get going. Even though his head still hurt, he wanted to be out and away from the Raider Camp.

Lyara chuckled a little as she stepped forward and hugged her new found friend. It was clear to her that the young boy wanted to get out and away, whether it be because he was still unsure of the Raiders, or if he wanted to get a jump on finding a way back to wherever his home was.

"Soon," she replied. "After we eat." Eat...food. Henry was a little wary of trying anything the Raiders cooked. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he just didn't want to eat any sort of meat that he didn't recognize. Still, it would be bad manners to insult the Tusken Raiders. Maybe he could stay for a few bites, right?

"Is that something else your mother says?" he asked, catching the earlier tone in her voice. Lyara looked at him and laughed. "Yes it is! How'd you know?" she asked.

"Well, my mom...and grandma, have the same policy..." he replied, thinking back to all of the times that they made him eat dinner before he could do much of anything else.

Together, the two children laughed as they left the tent and headed to get something to eat.

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read this story. I am still working on getting it completed and edited down, but any mistakes that I make are my own as this work is unbetaed. Now, as you can probably tell this story is not canon, and it's not meant to be. It's meant to follow the movies somewhat closely without delving in to the deep mechanics of the franchise. Yes, I do realize that the chapters are relatively short. Some will be short, others will be longer. The spacing...I'm not even going to go in to that. It looks fine in my document, but ff's site just changes it around. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this story (no flames please) and please r&r!

\- Injunuity89


	4. Chapter Three - A Chance Meeting

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Three: A Chance Meeting_

Mos Espa. True to her word, Lyara took Henry to the spaceport known as Mos Espa. Meeting and saying goodbye to 'Mother' had been an experience that at first had made Henry quite nervous but at the end, he was almost in tears as his friend had begun to lead him towards the Bantha's that were still harnessed and tethered nearby. Everything he had ever seen and or heard about Tusken Raiders was wrong. Sure, they were and could be violent at times, but the women, especially 'Mother,' well, she reminded Henry of Emma; so caring and wanting to protect him. Henry almost changed his mind but he couldn't change his mind so easily. Emma and the others would find him; he had to believe that.

People were milling around, going to and fro. Henry recognized humans but there were aliens too. Jawas, Rodians, Banthas, a Wookiee or two and a whole lot more that he had no clue what they were. There were droids too; a whole lot of droids. None of them were in good shape; all dirty and looking like they could fall apart at any moment, and yet somehow still moving about their day to day routine.

Before she had left, Lyara had given him a tan looking robe. Well, it wasn't exactly a robe, because it slipped on over his head but it was long enough that it just reached the top of his shoes without touching the ground. It was to cover his 'normal' clothes, just so he wouldn't be such an eyesore. It did make sense: Red shirt, jeans; pockets stuffed with the birthday present his mother, Emma, had given him for his birthday last year, not to mention sneakers...he sure stood out like a wolf in a hen house! Henry had made sure to thank his 'sister' for the tunic before he had gotten lost in the crowd. He did this so he wouldn't change his mind and return to the Raiders. Inwardly he was so scared and worried. It wasn't like he was still with Greg and Tamara. No, they were dead and their bodies were probably either buried under the sand or in some beast's belly. Henry was on his own with no telling when or if he would ever get back home to Storybrooke.

Finding a place between two buildings that seemed to offer a bit of shelter from the twin suns, Henry sat down and eyed his surroundings.

"What am I going to do?" he softly asked himself, "What am I going to do?" He shivered; not because he was cold but because he was so frightened.

Henry sat there and watched all of the people milling around. Remaining where he was throughout the rest of the day, when night time fell, the boy decided it was time to get up. Deserts got cold during the day, and yes while Mos Espa was a spaceport, it was still in the desert! Making his way past the spaceport inhabitants, he finally spied a little niche in a wall. The niche was unadorned with anything, but it was long and wide enough for him to settle down in. Deciding it was as good a place as any, Henry made his way over and settled down in the little niche, making sure his clothes were nice and tight around his frame.

When the twin suns rose up again the next morning, Henry forced himself to stretch and get up. Man, talk about a rough night! It got downright cold that evening, but he had been able to find heat because the building he had chosen to sit down between, had a lot of heat coming from it.

Rising up, he went in search of something to eat. He 'found' plenty of food but he had no money and he wasn't in the mood to get thrown in to whatever Tatooine's version of prison was; if it even had something like that, over a piece of...whatever that animal was. He also found several garbage bins; at least Tatooine's equivalent of a garbage bin, but the food? Well, it certainly wasn't like Earth's outdoor garbage bin where you were guaranteed to find at least something halfway edible. There was food alright in there but all of it was well beyond rotten and disgusting.

Shoulders slumping, Henry kept wandering around for several hours, hoping that someone would take pity on him and throw him some food, but none did. If anything, they steered clear of him. Man! Apparently the people of Tatooine didn't like their vagrants!

It was well beyond mid day before a sweat soaked Henry Mills decided it was time to rest. His stomach gurgled and seemed to turn end over end. He was hungry but he was also dehydrated enough so that the thought of food made him rather nauseous.

Finding some shade in the shadow of what looked to be some Bantha fur that a vendor had on a line; almost like a lean to tent, Henry drew his knees up to his chest, and then bowed his head, closing his eyes just to try and find some relief from the brightness of the day.

He didn't know how long he had had his eyes closed, but all of a sudden he heard a young male voice right in front of him.

"Here..."

Not moving, Henry sat there waiting for a moment, wondering if his mind had imagined the voice.

"Hey...you okay?" A hand touched him and shook his shoulder for a second. Okay, the voice hadn't been a figment of his imagination. Someone was well and truly in front of him! Opening his eyes, Henry lifted his head and squinted a little, eyes adjusting to take in the form of a little boy in dirty desert garb. The boy had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to twinkle with boyish delight. Around the boy's waist was a belt with a few cases attached to it. In the boy's hand however was a cylindrical cup; a cup he was holding out for Henry to take!

Henry looked from the cup to the boy's face and back. Finally he reached out and took the offered container, looking down in to the contents. Whatever it was, it was a ocean blue half liquid half gooey mixture; almost like a thick milkshake but with a more shiny goo consistency.

"Thanks but...what is it?" Henry asked, not sure what he was holding. The blond haired child laughed a light hearted laugh. "A drink!" he exclaimed. "I saw you earlier. You looked really lost. None of the shops here are going to give you anything for free."

Licking dry lips, Henry put his lips to the clear straw that was sticking out of the cup and sucked with all of his might. One might think that being such a thick drink, it would be impossible for it to go through the straw, but after only a few sucks, the blue liquid went through the cylindrical tube and the first drop of it hit Henry's tongue.

The taste was incredible! There was a hint of cherry in it, or whatever Tatooine's equivalent was. There was also a fruity flavor to it as well: strawberry and blueberry and...was that raspberry?! Those were the flavors that Henry's brain associated with when it tried to process the taste, even though there was no way it could be those ingredients. Still, it was extremely good!

Eyes lighting up, Henry sucked even harder and with more vigor once he learned he liked the taste of the drink.

"I'm Anakin. Anakin Skywalker," The blonde haired boy said, introducing himself as he held out his right hand for Henry to shake. Young Mills almost choked on the drink that was in his mouth. Anakin Skywalker?! He thought the kid looked familiar, but...wow! This meant that he was on Tatooine during the time of Episode 1, more than likely before that episode if the Jedi and Padme and that annoying Gungan weren't anywhere close by.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Henry smiled and shook Anakin's hand. "I'm Henry. I'm...not from around here."

"I thought so," Anakin replied, eying Henry's red shirt that was peeking out from the tunic he was also wearing.

Finishing off the drink rather quickly, Henry handed the empty glass back to Anakin who accepted it.

"Still hungry?" Anakin asked. Biting his bottom lip for a moment, Henry decided that telling the truth was something he needed to do, so he nodded his head for a second. Following Anakin's lead, both boys stood up and dusted themselves off.

"Come on!" Anakin said, "I'll take you to Jira's. She sells the most delicious pallies!" Entering in to the crowd of people, Henry followed after Anakin who side stepped and passed people, making his way through them as if he had been doing it his whole entire life. Along the way Henry admitted to Anakin that he had been taken from his parents and then just dropped on Tatooine. Just like with Lyara, Henry didn't tell Anakin everything, he kept it all very vague, but it was enough to get a sad expression and an 'I'm sorry,' from the blonde child.

By the time they reached Jira's little alcove, the old woman was already on her tired feet, closing up her shop.

At first Anakin was concerned but a strong gust of wind that ruffled all of their hair was enough to tell Henry what he already guessed: a sandstorm was approaching.

Smoothly, Anakin pulled out two truguts and handed them to Jira, who was just pushing her basket of pallies in to the alcove so she could protect them from the approaching storm. Accepting the truguts, Jira allowed Anakin to take two of the precious fruits before she continued with her work, putting up her wares lest the storm destroy them, leaving her with nothing.

"Here...let me!" Henry said, feeling weird just standing there. Without taking any prompting, he took a smaller basket of fruits and placed them next to the basket of pallies which were now in the alcove. Smiling, Anakin grabbed one of the displays and put that in back of the alcove as well. Within six minutes Anakin and Henry had helped Jira put the entirety of her little store in the recess and had helped her secure it. Because of their help, Jira and given the two boys two more pallies each! Normally she wouldn't do that, but both of them had been such a good help, the old woman felt that they each deserved a special treat. Accepting the offered fruit, Anakin and Henry turned, trying to shield themselves a little from the wind that was now hitting them from what felt like all sides.

"Do you have shelter?" Anakin asked over the gusting wind. He seriously doubted it, given where he had seen Henry earlier, but he felt that he at least had to ask first! "No...not really!" Henry shouted back. He hadn't really counted on a freaking sandstorm occurring on his first full day there on the planet but fate was not with him apparently!

"Well, come on! I will take you to my place! It's not far!" Anakin yelled, turning down a side road. Henry didn't hesitate as he followed the boy. How was Anakin so trusting of a stranger?! He was like that in the film too but to see it in real life...it threw Henry for a loop, but he was grateful. At least he wouldn't have to try and ride out the sandstorm outside. Besides, weren't they very very dangerous?

True to his word, just as the storm was picking up even more, they reached the slave quarters. It was a collection of little apartment type units built in to a rock formation. Obviously it wasn't meant for comfort, but when beggars couldn't be choosers, home was home.

Henry stayed right behind Anakin as the blond arrived at a door and opened it with the press of a button.

"Mom!" the blond called out as he entered in to the hovel, "Mom I'm home!"

Henry walked in two steps behind Anakin and stood respectfully with his hands clasped together in front of him. Being in someone else's home, the lad knew and understood that he had to show respect to the matriarch of the family; namely Shmi.

From out of the small kitchen, a middle aged woman walked in. The woman had brown eyes and dark hair. She wore a tunic that was old and warn, somewhat similar to Anakin's. Her hands were slightly wrinkled from age and time but she still had that look about her which suggested she could take on anyone that messed with her family.

"This is my friend, mom!" Anakin said, grinning at Henry. Remembering his manners, Henry smiled warmly at Shmi Skywalker and offered a hand for her to shake if she wanted. "Hello ma'am," he greeted, "Nice to meet you. My name's Henry. Henry Mills."

Not wishing to be rude, Shmi took Henry's hand and shook it warmly before she released it, looking at her son with admonishment.

"Anakin, I'm happy that you made a new friend, but what is he doing here?" she asked. Her son was always bringing over friends, especially Kitster and Wald, but she had already had a talk with Anakin a few days ago about slowing down all of the visits his friends seemed to pay them.

"Oh!" Anakin said, surprised that his mom couldn't hear the howling wind outside, "There's a sandstorm mom. Henry had nowhere else to go and I just couldn't let him stay outside." Shmi was silent, finally picking up on the howling wind outside. Under normal situations, she would have told her son to send Henry home, but even she wasn't that heartless to send a child out in a sandstorm.

"Well, then..." Shmi began, smoothing her hands on her dress, "Welcome Henry. You are more than welcome to stay the night."

Henry smiled sheepishly before he nodded his head. "Thank you, ma'am." He could tell that Shmi was wary of him, as she really should be. He was a stranger to her after all! Still, she didn't tell him to leave, either. For that, young Mills was extremely grateful.

Once that was all settled, Anakin grabbed hold of Henry's arm. "Come on! I want to show you something I've been working on!" With that Henry found himself tugged from the room.

After he was gone, Shmi found herself staring after the boys. She couldn't explain it then, but something told her to trust Henry and that she would be seeing much more of him in the days and months ahead.

Shaking her head, she smiled a little and then returned to the kitchen to get started on dinner.


	5. Chapter Four - A Hidden Talent

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Four: A Hidden Talent_

"Are you sure it's alright?" Henry asked Shmi one evening, "I don't want to get you in trouble with Watto."

It had been two and a half weeks since Anakin Skywalker had first brought home a new boy due to an approaching sandstorm. At first Shmi had been rather wary of Henry but that was to be expected. Henry did his best to calm her fears by explaining to her and Anakin both, how he had come to Tatooine. Now, he didn't give them vague descriptions of everything, he told them in somewhat great detail what had happened to him. He told them of his mother; both of them. He told them of his father, Neal and he had tried to tell them about Storybrooke. Not really knowing how to describe the cars and buildings, Henry gave up after saying that it was a 'wondrous' land filled with magic.

"Watto hardly ever comes to the Slave Quarters," Shmi explained, "So there is very little chance he would ever know you lived here. Still, the choice is yours alone. I cannot make it for you."

It didn't even take Henry a minute to smile gratefully at Shmi Skywalker. "Thank you, ma'am, I...I would like to stay."

"Then it's settled!" Anakin exclaimed happily from his place in between the small dining area and the area leading towards his bedroom.

"You are sleeping in my room!"

Following the younger boy back to the bedroom, Henry began to help Anakin clean up the place. One wouldn't think about it first glance, but actually the room did need a good spring cleaning. Sure, the little alcove where the only bed was, was made and rather tidy, but there was a workbench that was crammed full of Annie's protocol droid C-3PO. There were also other droid pieces and quite a few handcrafted tools, plus a few childrens toys.

"So...where am I going to sleep then?" Henry asked, seeing that there was absolutely no other bed present. He watched Anakin's eyes widen in surprise as a "Whoops!" slipped out of that mouth of his.

The blonde haired boy left the room only to return a minute later with a pillow, thin blanket and a rolled up mat all stacked one on top of the other.

"It's not much..." he admitted, but Henry shook his head in disagreement before he took the three items. "It's perfect, Annie, thanks."

The two boys picked a spot on the other side of the workbench and rolled out the sleep mat before setting it up as neatly as possible. Shortly after that, Anakin had to leave to go to Watto's shop. Henry had been there twice, under the pretext of trying to buy lift stabilizers and parts for an engine. Really though, it was just to scope it out and see if it was anything like the movie. Truth be told, it was set up _exactly_ like the film. Man, couldn't something be different from the movie for once?!

Once Annie was gone, Henry took that opportunity to walk around the Slave Quarters and surrounding area. He wanted to at least get his bearings and start learning where things were. He already knew his way to and from Jira's and Watto's, and he knew where the Pod Raceway was where they were due to hold the Boonta Eve Classic in a couple of months.

Henry carefully avoided venturing out even further. Tatooine had little in the way of laws, so if one wasn't careful they could easily find themselves suddenly belonging to someone else. No, that would never happen to him! No sir! He had to keep his freedom at all costs. If he got stuck with one of those transmitters, then even if Emma came for him, he couldn't go back with her!

As the twin suns began to go down, Henry stumbled upon the junkyard. It was very aptly named! Everything looked rusted and pretty much worthless, even by Jawa standards. On the far edge of the scrap pile were two engines, one of which looked completely finished and the other looked just a little over half way finished. There was also a racing pod. Even without the silver and blue paint, Henry recognized it as Anakin's pod, the one he would race in the Boonta! Making his way over to it, Henry looked inside the pod itself. He saw the seat and all of the buttons, switches and other controls. Right then it looked dirty, a child's toy that would never run, but inwardly Henry knew better. He knew that the racing machine was destined to win the Boonta and it was destined to earn young Skywalker his freedom and the chance to become a Jedi.

Biting his bottom lip, Henry glanced this way and that. Not seeing anyone else coming, he took hold of the side of the pod and slid over the edge to fully seat himself in the pilot's chair of the pod. There was the display in front of him which he knew would feed the status of the engines to Anakin when everything was powered and operational. He was sure it also had other uses but he wasn't entirely sure what they were.

Reaching down to his right, he flipped the black tab which he remembered was the power button for the engines. Since there was no power and the engines weren't even connected to the Pod yet, Henry wasn't worried at all. Pretending that there was power, he almost made a noise, as if the engines were powering up. Lifting his arms, he grasped the two controls that were just about face height for him. Man, how did Anakin do it?! Have his arms that high up for so damn long?! Already he could feel the blood draining from his fingers!

"What do you think? It's not finished yet."

A voice quite startled Henry. Yelping, hair on the back of his neck standing right on end, Henry literally shot up from the seat as if he were shot.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He repeated over and over and over. Seeing that it was Anakin, it made Henry feel all the worse. Was Anakin mad at him for discovering the Pod, much less playing in it like a … well, like a little kid?

Anakin Skywalker blinked before he looked at Henry rather quizzically, apparently not expecting such a reaction.

"Brother, it's okay!" Anakin assured, eying Henry closely. Heaving a sigh of relief, Henry closed his eyes before he paused. "Brother?" he asked, opening his eyes once more. "I...yeah?" Anakin replied with an uncertain tone, "Do you mind? I've never had a brother before."

Henry thought about it. Did he mind that Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One who, in the end would actually bring balance to the Force, wanted to call him brother?

"Um, sure! Okay..." He finally replied. It did sound a little weird to his ears but in a way he liked it. He

always wanted a sibling. He had hoped that after his mom and Neal had gotten back together that things would happen but then Tamara had come in to the picture and all hope of a baby sister or brother went right out the window for young Henry.

"Thanks. Well, this is my racer!" Anakin said, patting the side of the pod. "That one engine is finished; finished it the day you got here, actually!"

"What about the other one?" Henry asked, walking with his new 'brother' over to the unfinished engine that was partially covered with tarps and broken items to make it look like it was just another piece of scrap.

"It's getting there," Anakin admitted. "I need a few more pieces but Watto doesn't directly have them. I'm hoping that the Jawas will, next time he sends me to barter with them. Either that or..."

"Or what?" Henry asked, curiously. "Well...Watto has a pod that I use. If I could take it apart it has just about everything I need."

"If only he'd let you!" Henry interjected, chuckling a little, trying to imagine the pudgy blue creature telling Anakin to just tear the pod apart. He had seen the other pod. Shape wise it was similar but the steering controls were different and weren't as high up as they were in Anakin's custom pod.

"Yeah, when Bantha's fly!" Anakin shot back with a laugh.

Together the two boys began to head back to the Slave Quarters. Shop keepers were already packing up and returning to their own homes. Still, there were others that were just getting started for the evening.

"So, if you could ever leave Tatooine, what would you do?" Henry asked. He wasn't about to tell Anakin nor his mother what he truly believed would happen in the coming months. For one he didn't want to get the boy's hopes up but if and when it did all come to pass he didn't want all of the 'how did you know?' questions which would come his way. Instead, Henry decided to play it safe with a 'what would you do?' type question.

"I would take you and mom and we'd go to every planet that's out there. I want to be the first one to see them all!" Anakin replied with a grin, glancing up at the stars that were just coming out to play. "I'd like to see that too!" Henry said happily as they neared the Slave Quarters.

"What about going home?" Anakin asked, "I know you talked about it before." Looking down at the sandy ground, Henry fell silent. Home, Storybrooke, Emma, Regina, Prince Charming and Snow White...

Swallowing hard at the memory, Henry licked dry lips before he lifted his gaze once again. "I do miss home," he began, "I'd like to go back there if I could but it's not possible..."

"Because you need magic..." Anakin said.

Henry paused for a minute before he nodded his head, having forgotten for a moment that he had told Anakin about the magic bean and the portal.

"I can't just board a ship and have it take me back to Storybrooke. There has to be a portal and...I don't think there's anything that powerful here..." Henry said.

Anakin could feel Henry's sadness and slight frustration. He himself could imagine what it was like: being taken away from his home, his mother and never being able to get back to her. It scared him! His own mother was the only person he had and without her...honestly, Anakin didn't know how he'd feel!

"Brother," Anakin said, stopping for only a minute as they arrived at the front door of the hovel, "I promise you that if it's the last thing I ever do, I will help you find a way back to your home." Touched, all Henry could do was smile and nod his head in thanks before the two of them entered in to their home.

…

Anakin and his mother Shmi rose up with the suns. Henry managed to sleep in an extra hour before he too got up. He still couldn't believe his good fortune! He was living with Anakin and Shmi! He couldn't say it was a dream come true or anything, because truth be told, if he had a choice he would rather be back in Storybrooke, but since he was on Tatooine; not to mention knowing what was in Anakin's future, he would be pretty much right up front! He could see Anakin win the Pod Race, he could probably bear witness to the retaking of Theed at Naboo, he could see Anakin begin his life as a Jedi, he could...wait...

Henry paused as he was about to put his boots on; boots that Shmi managed to scrounge up somewhere.

Anakin was only at those events because a Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn freed him from slavery and brought the lad along, intent on having Anakin trained at the Jedi temple. So, Anakin had a free ride out of Tatooine, more or less.

"Hmm," Henry murmured to himself. Just how was he supposed to get his butt off of Tatooine as well? Henry remembered Anakin asking about his mother, hoping that she was free too. Would the youngster ask about his 'brother' as well? Would Qui-Gon even allow a second child to come along? On top of all of that, was it really smart to leave Tatooine? This was where the magic bean had dumped him. Was it logical to assume that this was where his parents would come looking for him too?

It was a lot to think about. For the first time Henry felt nervous and unsure. He still hoped his mom would come for him but what if she never did? What if he foolishly stayed on this dustbowl of a world and missed out on the grandest adventure of all?

Sliding in to his boots, Henry stood up and smoothed down his dirty, gray colored tunic. It was something that had been owned by a former slave of Watto's. Apparently all of Watto's slaves were to live in the three hovels that made up Anakin's home, but since that blue toydarian now only owned Anakin and his mother, there was plenty of room, not to mention small relics of slaves long past.

Leaving the Skywalker's hovel, young Henry made his way out of the Slave's Quarters. He stayed calm and managed not to get in anyone's way. He kept his dark eyes open, wondering if he would catch glimpses of the Jedi even though he knew in the back of his mind that they weren't 'due' to arrive until Anakin's podracer was almost complete.

Weaving his way through a few back allies, Henry soon found himself on the outskirts of town, where he saw his 'brother' Anakin Skywalker doing some work on a somewhat maroon colored pod. It was Watto's pod; it had to be. That blue toydarian's racing pod had never been shown; only mentioned before, so Henry was always curious to know what it had actually looked like.

Smiling, he quickened his pace until he arrived at the racing pod. Anakin looked over from his place near the left engine, giving Henry a smile and a wave.

"Hey!" the blonde boy greeted. "Hey!" Henry replied back. "Thought that I could maybe give you a hand?"

Henry Mills knew that, when compared to Anakin, he wasn't that much of a Mr. Fix-It. However, he did alright in his own right, at least he did when he was back in Storybrooke. Being left on his own a lot, the boy had had to find something to do, and that something usually meant tinkering or reading his book which he had read hundreds of times before.

"Sure!" Anakin said with a grin all his own. Together the two boys worked on the pod for several hours straight. The sun beat down on both of their faces, Anakin's blonde hair shining brightly and Henry's developing a bit of shine as well. Anakin explained the controls and the inner workings of the pod and engines. He showed his brother how the fuel was fed to the mighty beasts and how the power coupling kept the two engines linked together. Giant Steelton cables ran from both engines to both sides of the pod, just like they would on Anakin's new pod, however, these cables attachment points were back a little further.

After a few hours, Henry paused and wiped the sweat off of his brow. "So, what's next?" he asked as it seemed to him the pod was almost ready for a test drive.

"Could you hop in the pod and turn her over?" Anakin asked. "I need to be sure that a few of the internal cables aren't misaligned and I can't while the engines aren't on."

It made sense. Anakin wouldn't be anywhere near the engine's intake system, nor would he be at the back where the exhaust was.

"Sure!" Henry replied. Gripping the side of the pod, Henry eased himself in to the worn seat before he reached down and picked up Anakin's racing helmet complete with attached goggles on it. He attempted to hand it to Anakin, but the blonde shook his head. "The one in the pilot seat has to wear it," he said.

Shrugging, Henry placed the helmet on his head and strapped it down. It was almost a perfect fit! The leather part in the back was just a tiny bit too short but other than that it fit like a glove.

"Ready?" He yelled out; his hearing somewhat obstructed by the helmet that also covered his ears.

Seeing Anakin give him a thumbs up and then run off to the side up ahead and to the left, Henry gave it a good, slow, five count before he gently took hold of the scratched, black hard plastic grip and jerked it upwards several times in quick succession. He heard the engines start to turn but not engage. Instead of stopping, Henry kept on going; jerking the little lever upwards several more times until the loud roar of the powerful engines filled the air. All of a sudden the little display monitor in front of him flickered to life, its screen filled with small nicks and scratches. On the screen was a little image of two engines; his engines, plus the purple band of the power coupling linking the two engines together. Both of the engines were green. Henry took that to mean that the computer considered the engines okay and free from damage.

Noticing movement, Henry watched Anakin move to first one engine and then, carefully, to the other. After about five minutes on each engine, Henry saw Anakin give him the signal to rev the engine. Giving his brother a thumbs up in understanding, Henry gripped the controls, depressing the button that fed fuel to the engines, which began and increased the engine's thrust. However, what neither Anakin nor Henry realized was that the Pod was in gear, so what should have been a harmless rev; like what one would do to their vehicle if it were in park, turned out to be so much more. One second the Pod was stopped and the next it shot forth heading towards the open desert.

Henry was surprised to be sure! His eyes flashed open wide as his strong, sure grip on the controls shifted. For a second; only a second he started panicking. His brown eyes abruptly scanned the controls, looking for some sort of emergency brake, but he didn't recognize which one it was. Next, Henry released the throttle, but the control was stuck; jammed so that the engines continued to rev, producing more and more speed!

" _I. Am going. To die...!"_ Henry thought to himself as he looked out on to the horizon. He briefly thought of his family and just how distraught they would be whenever they found out he had died, before he felt a calming sort of confidence fill him. Just glancing out at the distance ahead, yes things were flying by him at hundreds of miles per hour but to Henry, it looked as if it were coming in slow motion! The sand blasted his face as the sun continued to beat down, but, after squinting his eyes, Henry saw the large sand dune up ahead. It was almost as if his hands had a mind of their own for a second as he gripped the controls and flipped a seemingly innocuous button. Immediately, something happened with the engines! They quickly shut off and just like that the pod began to slow down at an almost alarming rate. Pitching the pod a full 180 degrees, Henry flipped a few more buttons; not because he knew what they were, but he literally had a feeling, as if some sort of voice was telling him which buttons to push and flip. Finally, the thruster control returned to it's correct position; a simple popping sound filling the air for the briefest of moments. This time, making sure that when he reengaged the engines, the pod would stay put, Henry fired the already warm engines up once more. The loud and familiar roar filled his ears, but this time the youngster was ready.

Keeping his eyes on the horizon, Henry eased the throttle forward, gently this time. Gracefully the podracer began to move again and within three and a half minutes, Henry was slowing the machine down until the pod itself gracefully landed within thirty feet of a very shocked and surprised Anakin Skywalker. Shutting the pod's engines down, Henry sat there for a moment in shock before he took off Anakin's helmet, not realizing that he had a sand coated face.

"What happened?!" Anakin asked, running towards him. "Are you alright?"

Standing up, Henry dropped the helmet back in to the seat before he hopped out of the racer. "Yeah!" he replied in a shocked tone of voice, "The throttle got jammed and I didn't know where the brake was. But...wow! I thought that I was going to die out there; out of control pod and all, but when I really looked out there...it was like I could still see everything just fine! I had this..." Henry paused, not sure how to describe it.

"Feeling?" Anakin asked, biting at his lower lip.

Henry looked to his brother and nodded his head. "Yeah! It...it told me which buttons and controls I needed to use. And, the pod did exactly what I wanted it to when I finally calmed down!" He didn't want to come right out and say it, but he almost wanted to jump back in the pod and take her for another spin, now that he was confident he wouldn't crash and end his life.

Anakin smiled. He would definitely have to check in to the stuck thruster issue before the next race in two days, but this news was surprising and very welcome.

"You flew a pod..." he exclaimed, "You actually flew a pod!" Offering and receiving a high-five, Henry couldn't help but ponder something he had never even considered before: Force Ability. Was it even possible that _he_ was sensitive to the Force as well?

Shoving that little factoid in to the back of his mind, he and Anakin turned back to the pod. Unhooking the engines they went straight back to work, trying to fix the problem with the thruster so that what happened to Henry wouldn't happen again. While they worked, Henry kept relating his shock and awe to Anakin, who would also chime in with his acknowledgment of that feeling that he too had, and how it had been a great help to him in the past.

Slowly the suns began to go down once more, signaling the end of yet another day. The boys wrapped up their work and began to head back towards the Slave Quarters. Neither of them noticed two human males standing in the shadow of an abandoned building, watching the two of them hook up the pod and engines to eopies and take them back in to the spaceport. The two humans smoothly wrote something down in a datapad before they disappeared back in to the crowd as the nightlife of the planet began to come out.


	6. Chapter Five - The First Race

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Five: The First Race_

Four months came and went on Tatooine. The planet remained the same, as did the local people; nothing changed. Ships came and went, crime happened every day; some of which was caught and some of it there would be no justice for.

Slightly teary eyed, Henry sat in his bed with his own racing helmet and gloves sitting right beside him. Two months ago he had been approached by two humans named Deak and Lyam who had said they had seen him fly the pod on the outskirts of town that one day. A holo of him flying had been all the proof Henry really needed to know that they had spoken the truth. Deak and Lyam had then gone on to explain that they had a racer but no pilot as their last one had been killed in the last Boonta Eve Classic. They promised Henry a cut in the profits as well as him retaining his freedom if he flew for them. It was an interesting deal to be sure, but the young lad was very skeptical. A cut of the profits and his freedom if he operated the racer for them? Surely they could find another pilot; one with more experience. However, the thought of being able to race did appeal to Henry. Just five months ago he was safe in his own world in Storybrooke while his mother fought crime and saved lives. Now, bring the clock forward just a few months and here he was being handed the keys to a freaking _podracer_ of _all_ things! If this hadn't been happening to him right that second, he would have thought he was in a dream. It didn't take too terribly long for him to agree to their terms. He just had to hope that they would abide by them themselves.

His brother and his mother however...

A tear slowly slipped down Henry's face as he flashed back to the day he asked Shmi if he too could call her mother. Honestly, it had only been a month ago that he had asked. He had had a nightmare and once again he had ended back up in that fire room; an after affect of the Sleeping Curse he had been put in to what seemed like a lifetime ago. He had hoped that he would see Mary Margaret; his grandmother there, or maybe Aurora, but there had been no one. Henry had woken up with a cry and within moments Shmi had been there, soothing him like his grandpa David had done before, and just like David she had turned on an old glow lamp which cast a soothing light that wasn't too bright, but it was calming. It was to capture the bad dreams, leaving only the good ones. That was what he had been told.

Deep in his heart he did feel as if he were betraying his real mother, but at that moment he had needed that comforting reassurance and Shmi had been right there. Part of him regretting calling her mother, but another part spoke to him, telling him that he had to start moving on. Emma and Regina weren't coming for him.

Wiping the tear from his face, Henry stood up from the bed, crossed the room to Anakin's side and retrieved a small canister that was no bigger than a shoebox in length and width. Removing the cover, Henry slowly took his scarf, shoes and his coat (which had been found and returned to him by Lyara shortly after he moved in with Anakin and Shmi), folded the coat and scarf up and placed them all in the container, along with his blue jeans and his red button up shirt. It was all of the clothing he had been wearing when Greg and Tamara had taken him. The only two items that he refrained from putting in the box were the little necklace he had crafted; really, it was the Swan keychain with a simple, black string through the top, as well as a small fourth generation iPod Nano, with a simple pair of black earbuds wrapped around them. The keychain, his father had given to him shortly after they had returned to Storybrooke from New York, and the iPod? Well, it had been a birthday present and it had just so happened to be in his coat pocket when he had been taken through the portal. How it hadn't been water damaged was still beyond the boy.

"I'll never forget you mom..." Henry whispered ever so softly to the clothes, almost as if he were whispering to a gravestone, "I promise..."

Taking a deep breath, the young lad re affixed the lid, sealed it and then carried it outside, out of the spaceport and just past the nearby sand dune. It was a journey that took him a good hour and a half to walk, but it was something that he didn't mind. Giving up his past was something that Henry really didn't want to do, but it was something that he felt he needed to do. It had been four months already with absolutely no sign that his mother had come for him. He couldn't hang on to a hope and a dream forever. At some point he needed to accept the cold, hard truth, no matter how much it hurt.

Kneeling down in the sand, Henry dug a hole with his bare hands. It wasn't too terribly difficult given that it was only sand. Still it did take a good long while until it was deep enough. Taking hold of the canister, Henry gave it one last look over before he gently placed it in the ground and covered it over with sand. In a way he felt silly. It wasn't as if someone physical had died; this wasn't a funeral for a person, but in another way, it was a funeral for the person Henry used to be. He had thought about it all last night and had come to a decision. It was becoming obvious that he wasn't ever going to get home; at least not from Tatooine, so he needed to grow up and move on with his life.

Making his way back in to the spaceport, he walked past Watto's shop, several food vendors and a dealer that sold speeders, until he arrived at a seemingly innocuous building. Walking around to the side, he keyed in a sequence on the non descript keypad and the door opened with a whoosh. Walking inside, the door shut behind him. Inside, right in the middle of the room was a pod and two engines. The pod was shaped like a tire. It was circular yet thin. However it wasn't a true circle, and the angles were just right to help the pod slice through the air, rather than slow it down and create drag. Inside the pod there was a custom made bucket seat that fit Henry like a glove; his own design really. The entire front console was a small screen which fed readouts to the driver, plus a good six buttons and levers; all of which did a different task. Next were the controls themselves. Henry had designed it as well and whomever had made it had done their best to get it correct. It was a joystick much like the ones in fighter planes back on Earth. That was to actually control the directions, and a button on the back of the stick would control the thrust. Next to that was another, smaller stick that was much like an emergency brake, only this would activate the afterburners, giving him quick bursts of higher speeds.

The color of the pod was capri with red accents along the underside and topside and along the engines. It was perfect!

"I can't believe this is mine..." Henry said, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. Never in his life could he have dreamed that he would actually be in a podrace, let alone operating one! To operate a podracer, one had to have multiple limbs or as Qui-Gon would say, 'Jedi reflexes!' To think that he had such reflexes; Henry was still trying to wrap his mind around it!

"This one does look better and it appears to handle better in the turns," Lyam said, approaching from the shadows.

Henry had gotten a chance to test drive the machine a few days ago and he absolutely loved it. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of flying, with the wind whipping across his face and the feeling of a powerful machine dragging him above the ground at breakneck speeds.

"Are you ready for today?" Deak asked, joining his brother Lyam beside their pilot. Today was Henry's first race with the pod and his first race in general. He had gone over the course multiple times so he was confident that he wouldn't forget a turn and hit something or worse, get lost.

Eying the completed racer for a moment, Henry nodded his head. "More than ready!" he replied.

The two brothers laughed and clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit!" they both exclaimed.

"Do you remember who you need to watch out for?" Lyam asked. He and his brother had been drilling it in to Henry for weeks now. There were a lot of good racers, but only a few were actually dangerous and wouldn't think twice about doing something to cause you to crash.

"Definitely Sebulba," Henry said, beginning to list some other racers, "Ratts Tyerell...Anakin...well...pretty much all of them..."

Walking with the brothers, Henry helped them lead in four eopies. The Eopies along with repulser lifts would help transport the vehicle to the hanger where final preparations and inspections by officials would take place, and then it would be transported to the race track.

Helping Deak and Lyam hook the repulser lifts to the engines and pod was easy work. After he was finished, he was instructed to go ahead and get his helmet and gloves and then meet them at the arena. Nodding, he jogged out of the building and headed back to the Slave Quarters at a steady pace.

The spaceport of Mos Espa seemed more alive than usual. Excitement was in the air for sure. Shops were closing early as it looked like everyone was headed for the area. It wasn't the Boonta Eve Classic, but it was the race directly before it. The winner won 2200 truguts, notoriety, and of course the chance to compete in a podrace off planet. That was what excited Henry the most! Imagine! If he actually won his debut race, he could go on to race off planet in the actual Podracing Circuit!

Jogging back to the Skywalker's hovel, Henry quickly went and snatched up his gloves and his racing helmet. He was about to leave but he stopped and glanced at the racing uniform Deak and Lyam had given him that first week. They said nothing about wearing it to this race but...Henry couldn't resist it! Sliding in to the uniform, he zipped it up and then, grabbing his gloves and helmet, he jogged all the way to the area. Inwardly he was so excited but he was also nervous. Every one of the racers had experience under their belts and he had nothing. What if he made a fool of himself? Henry was worried about that for one second and one second only, because even as he considered that fact, he felt a comforting feeling in the back of his mind. He imagined his mother and his father telling him that he would do fine. It was enough to calm him down and give him confidence.

"Mom, this is for you..." He whispered under his breath, moments before he arrived at the area to begin finally preparations for the race.

…

" _Gentleman, start your engines...!"_

The order came from the numerous loudspeakers that surrounded the arena's starting area. All of the racers had been introduced, after the formal 'start' to the race. Sebulba was racing of course, as was Gasgano, Ode Mandrell, Anakin and a chorus of other racers.

Taking a deep breath, Henry gently let it out before he thumbed the black lever several times, feeding fuel to the engines and encouraging them to turn over. It took a few pushes of the lever, but finally the resounding roar filled his covered ears.

Henry was very nervous for this. He had never been in any sort of race in his entire life. Sure he had played a few racing games before, but this was not a video game. This podrace was literally life and death. If you crashed, your pod wouldn't respawn at the crash point so that you could start again. No, you would be out for the remainder of the race and lucky if you weren't killed; given how fast the machines could go.

Given that he was a newcomer, Henry was at the back of the pack. Of course, he had been expecting that. It was where he was used to starting in video game races; why should this one be any different?

The reassuring feeling of the Force surrounding him gave him peace of mind. Whatever happened that day, he would be kept safe. Of that, Henry was quite sure.

Hands on the controls, brown eyes flicked to the light which, when green, would signal the start of the race.

Up ahead Henry barely recognized Anakin and the pod he was in; Watto's pod. Was this the race in which Sebulba would flash his brother with those vents of his? Henry remembered that comment well and knew that the event had to happen.

While he had been making the final touches on his pod, he had been mulling over his options in his head. Events had been 'written' in a very particular way. Anakin winning the Boonta Eve Classic and leaving with the Jedi for Coruscant, where he would be tested by the Jedi Council who would then deny Qui-Gon Jinn's request to train the boy. There was also the battle to retake Naboo; the battle in which Qui-Gon and Obi Wan Kenobi faced off against the Zabrak Darth Maul and which Qui-Gon lost is life. All of that had to happen so that Anakin could grow up to become the Jedi turned Sith that he would become and thus bring balance to the Force. Who was Henry to try and challenge that? However...just being there on Tatooine, hadn't that already changed the future? Now instead of one force sensitive for Qui-Gon to study, now there would be two. And, what about Anakin's fall from grace? Henry knew how it happened; Palpatine got in to his brother's head. What if he could stop that from happening?

Did he even have a right to do such a thing? Just because it had been recorded in a movie franchise didn't make it 'set in stone' as it were, right?

A green light suddenly flashing from directly in front of him signaled the started of the race. Henry was startled and thus was two seconds behind to initiate his engines. Grimacing as his pod began to move, Henry hoped and prayed that his lack of attention wouldn't cost him dearly.

Sand and grit whipped at his face as he barreled after his opponents. This time wasn't like his first time behind the wheel of a podracer. This time he was much more calm, cool and collected. The frenzied speed, the feeling of the pod's slight rocking in the wind, it all spoke to Henry in a kind of language, telling him things about the pod that readouts alone couldn't say.

Feeding even more fuel to his engines, his pod rocketed ahead, easily catching up to the first racer. Not too familiar with names yet, Henry couldn't even guess who it was. However, names didn't matter that much to him. It wasn't Anakin and it wasn't Sebulba; both good things.

Coming up directly behind the racer, Henry tried to slide past left, then right, but the green racing pod in front seemed to expect every move he made!

Knowing there was a significant drop coming up, Henry maneuvered his pod so that he was half a pace behind the racer. Once they did hit the drop, Henry gunned his engines and afterburners, frog jumping over the racer, successfully moving up one place. Grinning behind his helmet, Henry kept the heat on. He knew from racing games that one didn't want to relax just after passing someone. A lead needed to be built and other racers needed to be watched out for.

Two other racers were coming up, just rounding the bend. They seemed to be battling each other and not paying any mind to what was around them. It really was only too easy for Henry to fly past the both of them. Up ahead was a dark cave however, lit only by the occasional ray of sunlight from some overhead holes in the rock. One really had to know the cave like the back of their hand/tentacle/appendage, to make it through alive.

The outside temperature dropped by several degrees the second he entered the cave. Rock stalactites of various shapes and sizes hung all over from the ceiling; some hanging rather low to the ground. A resounding explosion from up ahead, plus a flash of light was enough to let Henry know that a podracer in front of him hadn't been lucky enough to navigate the cave. Henry however wasn't scared. He concentrated on that feeling he had; the feeling that told him to bear right instead of left, to slow down or speed up and soon enough the familiar heat of Tatooine's twin suns bearing down on his helmet and pod told Henry that he had made it through the cave.

Great, a few obstacles done, but many more to go! Metta Drop was coming up, as was Beggar's Canyon, Arch Canyon and the Canyon Dune Turn. All of which were dangerous in their own right.

Suddenly, a sharp warning in the Force flowed through Henry. He looked out on the horizon to see a plume of smoke rising from Metta Drop. Within fifteen seconds his pod arrived at and flew by the wreckage of a pod plus two engines. He went by so fast that it was extremely difficult to make out anything of worth, but the cold feeling that went through him told him one thing: The wrecked podracer was his brother, Anakin.

Swallowing down his fear, Henry tightened his grip on his controls. That wouldn't be him too! Not on his debut race! Carefully feeding power to his engines, Henry let the Force guide him through the first lap and the second. He flew past other racers and sometimes had to fake them out. Fighting for and keeping a spot in the race was difficult at times, but even so, the one racer that Henry absolutely would not challenge was Sebulba. The second he saw the split-X engines, he backed off time and again, because he knew the damage that Dug could cause if he got close enough to challenge him.

By the time the last lap came around, the wreckage of Anakin's pod was well on the way to getting cleared up. His brother would have already been picked up and would already be on his way back home. Well that's good at least. He wasn't harmed.

Sensing another racer coming up from behind, Henry had a hell of a time trying to fend him off. They would jockey for second place; first one would take it, and then Henry would reclaim it. It went on like that all the way to the finish line. At the end, it was indeed very close but Henry's initiation of his afterburners was half a second too slow. The racer's engines past his as they came over the finish line, leaving Henry with third place.

Truth be told, third place wasn't all that bad for a debut race, but it wasn't the position that Henry wanted. Engaging the brakes, Henry slowed the pod down to a stop and then killed the engines, the whine and roar slowly fading in to nothingness. Undoing his straps, he stood up, removed his helmet and climbed out of his pod. There were his sponsors waiting for him; Deak an Lyam. The looks on their faces were hard to read.

Gulping ever so slightly, Henry approached the two men, waiting for them to speak.

"Your actions out there..." Deak began, "Well done, for your first race." The two men broke in to cheeky grins as they clapped Henry on the shoulder.

"Third place wasn't exactly what we hoped for but we know that you will do better on your next race," Lyam interjected.

"My next race?" Henry asked, surprised that his sponsors weren't angry with him.

"Yes, the Boonta Eve Classic! It will be in three weeks time!" Deak said.

"Three weeks?" Henry asked, confused.

"And if you don't win, boy..." Lyam's voice dropped low as he and his brother approached Henry, "You won't have to worry about being sold in to slavery. We'll not give you the chance. We will just kill you ourselves. Ever wonder what happened to our last driver who failed us...?"

Henry said nothing as the two brothers walked away. God, had he been so blind to trust two people that seemed to only look out for their own interests? How was he supposed to win the Boonta Eve? Anakin had to win it! If Anakin didn't, then he would never become a Jedi...but if Henry didn't win it...would he even manage to escape Tatooine with his life?

Those thoughts and more filled young Henry's mind as he turned and began to make his way back home. How could he deny Anakin his future, but then again, was he suppose to let it all just happen the way it was depicted? He had been dropped on Tatooine for a reason, hadn't he? Was this his reason? Was he supposed to change everything?


	7. Chapter Six - Jedi Knights

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Six: Jedi Knights_

It was a day like any other day on the planet of Tatooine. Shmi was out doing something for Watto and Anakin was at the store, working. Henry had already been working on his own racer for several hours when he informed Deak that he wanted to take a break.

The two brothers only nodded at him as he left the warehouse. Truth be told, Henry really didn't want to be around them. In a lot of ways he was scared of them; especially after their threat! He hadn't realized it then but apparently the two brothers worked closely with Jabba the Hutt, the vicious crime lord that pretty much had the whole of Tatooine's population under his grubby, fat, stubby arm.

Man, how could he have been so stupid to fall in with the likes of them?! Was he always like that, befriending the seemingly innocent, only to be bitten by them later? He was suddenly reminded of the two kids; Ava and Nicholas; granted that wasn't their true name. Their real name had been Hansel and Gretel. What they made him a party to; well, it still annoyed him. Ava had engaged him in seemingly innocent conversation while her younger brother Nicholas, snuck candy bars in to his backpack! Of course Mr. Clark (Sneezy) had seen it all and he blamed Henry completely for the attempted robbery. It was that part which really miffed the boy; him being blamed when he had absolutely no part in any of it.

Oh well. Nicholas and Ava were all in the past. Deak and Lyam were the here and now, and it was the here and now that he needed to worry about.

They wanted him to win the next race. His freedom and the lives of his new 'family' depended on it. Normally, the urge and desire to win the next race was a good thing. Only, for Henry it wasn't. The next race was the Boonta Eve Classic. That was the race that his brother Anakin needed to/would win. If Anakin failed to win the Boonta Eve, the Jedi Knights; who hadn't even arrived yet, would lose their damaged ship (Along with Queen Padme and her entourage) and Anakin wouldn't secure his freedom but would also lose his pod.

Walking to the vender that sold Ruby Bliels, Henry purchased one, paid for it and then walked off, sipping on the delicious beverage. It really was the only thing he found that he absolutely liked to drink. Blue Milk was a definite acquired taste as it certainly didn't taste like any milk he had ever had! In a way it sort of tasted like cow's milk back on Earth, but only if that cow had been eating something it shouldn't have been, which transferred to the milk and made it taste sour/rotten. That nasty taste; to him at least, was exactly what Blue Milk tasted like.

Now, what could he do with his spare time? Shmi and Anakin probably wouldn't be home for awhile; well, Shmi might, but Anakin would probably be working at the shop most of the day. Hmm, there was work on his podracer that he could be doing, but working along side his sponsors was something that young Henry wasn't excited to do.

Since there was absolutely no water on the planet, save for what could be taken by moisture vaporators, going swimming was completely out of the question. As was playing games, reading comics; hell, reading his fairy tale book wasn't an option either! Oh how he missed that thing!

" _Oooh! Icky icky goo!"_

Hearing that statement brought Henry to a complete stop. No...it couldn't be! Up ahead by the outskirts, heading _in_ to town was what looked to be a tall, middle aged man, a young girl in her teens, an astromech droid and an aquatic looking... _thing._

It was them! Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Naberrie (who was actually the Queen in disguise), R2-D2 and the annoying creature Jar Jar Binks. Seeing them told Henry that he was running out of time. The race was tomorrow!

Closing his eyes, Henry took a few deep, calming breaths. By the time he opened them, the Jedi was gone.

"Oh this is so not good..." he whispered to himself as he started to walk again.

…

Henry stayed by the marketplace for several hours. He knew what was supposed to happen, now all he had to see was if it would actually take place or not! There! Across the way was Sebulba the Dug and a few of his friends, munching down on something in a diner. A little was away was the 'frog vendor' at least that was Henry's nickname for him and...yes! Just walking up was Qui-Gon and...ugh. Jar Jar. Yes, Henry understood the creature's significance. Without the aquatic idiot, Chancellor Palpatine wouldn't get his emergency powers during the second episode and yes without Jar Jar, it was plausible that the Naboo people and the Gungan's (Jar Jar's species) wouldn't make peace. Still, watching the stock eyed creature suck the Gorg into his mouth and watching Gragra demand payment; right then and there the young lad almost wanted to take a baseball bat and bash the Gungan's head in. Of course, Henry couldn't _hear_ all of the conversation between the vendor and Jar Jar but he knew that was what was happening. He dimly heard Jar Jar's squeaky voice panic and spit out the Gorg and...yep. The Gorg landed in Sebulba's food, splashing the Dug and pissing him off.

Henry; upon seeing Anakin approaching the Dug and Gungan, stood up and tossed away his long since empty drinking cup. He had to play this right if he had any sort of chance of getting off of the planet in the coming day. Anakin had to go for certain but Henry didn't want to be left behind. Convincing Qui-Gon to let him tag along as well, without just coming right out and asking him was going to be difficult.

Knowing that Anakin would break up the fight before there really was one, Henry started meandering in the direction of Jira's Fruit Stand. He didn't know how long it was going to take Anakin to convince his new found friends to follow him to Jira's, so all he really had to do was A: meet them all back at the hovel, or B: just 'run' in to them on the street and be introduced that way.

"HENRY!"

Well...guess that decided that question!

Smiling, Henry looked behind him and to the right to see Anakin, the Jedi, the girl, the droid and the Gungan right behind him.

"Ani!" Henry greeted, quickening his pace until he reached his brother. Hugging the smaller boy, Henry glanced at the newcomers for a second before he returned his attention to the blonde boy.

"These are my friends, Henry!" Anakin declared. "This is...um..." Henry heard Anakin falter, having obviously not caught any of their names yet.

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," the middle aged man spoke up, "This is Padme Naberrie, our droid R2-D2, and our friend Jar Jar Binks."

"Hi!" Henry greeted, instantly reaching out a hand towards the Jedi, which Qui-Gon accepted after only a moment. With the handshake over, Henry looked back down to Anakin who had the biggest smile on his face.

"This is my brother, Henry!" Anakin said. Henry almost wanted to correct Anakin; tell him that they weren't biologically related, but it had already been a little while since the blonde had started calling him that, and Henry felt that if he was going to say something about it, it would have been back then and not now.

"Where are you all going?" He asked, curiously.

"I'm taking them to Jira's shop!" Anakin replied.

"Her Pallies are amazing!" Henry declared, walking with them. He then quieted down, listening to Anakin talk about this and that; mostly about Jira and her pallies, as they all headed towards her stall as a group.

Once there, Henry let Anakin go first. Several pieces of the fruit were purchased: one for Qui-Gon, Padme and Jar Jar. Seeing that Anakin had no more money, Henry stepped up and purchased three more pieces of fruit. Handing one of the pieces to Anakin, Henry pocketed the other two. It was then that he glanced up at the sky, much like Qui Gon had done a few moments earlier.

"Oh my bones are aching!" Jira commented in her sweet, kindly voice, "Better get home boys. Storms' coming up quick!"

As one they all turned and began to walk however, after a few paces, Henry stopped and went back to Jira. He just couldn't leave her to pack up everything by herself. With only a momentary glance at Anakin, who just nodded to him, Henry continued to help Jira put away her stall while Anakin led the others back to the hovel.

By the time Henry finished up, the wind was blowing the sand around like crazy. It was hard to see, even when shielding his face! Man, sandstorms formed and became full on dangerous rather quickly!

One arm shielding his eyes, Henry struggled on. He could only make out the edge of buildings. Most everyone else was already off the streets; lucky them! The sand filled the air like a thick, stinging smoke. It made breathing difficult and sight almost impossible. Still, he trudged on. It wasn't his first night on Tatooine, so he just let his feet lead him. Thirty paces this way, curve around this hut, ten paces to the left, sharp right turn, forward thirty more paces and there it was! The Slave Quarters!

Trudging on, past a few doors, Henry arrived at one door. He pressed a button on the keypad and the door opened. He entered the hovel and lowered his arm.

"Henry!" Shmi declared, making her way over to him. Henry saw that Shmi and Qui-Gon had been in the living area. Obviously Anakin had taken the others to his bedroom.

"Sorry," Heny replied rather sheepishly, "I was helping Jira pack up her fruit stand." He saw Shmi smile and caress his sand blown cheek lovingly. It was the same way Regina had used to caress his cheek when he was very little.

"At least you are home safe..." Shmi said. "Now, go get cleaned up. It's your turn to help me with dinner." Nodding his head, Henry moved off to brush and scrub the sand off of his face and out of his hair. He wasn't sure what would be prepared for dinner as they didn't have much. Mostly stuff for a dish that Henry likened to oatmeal, plus there were apples and blue milk.

Offering his greetings to Anakin, Padme, the two droids and Jar Jar, Henry bypassed them and went to the small refresher unit. All of the slave hovels had one but only one and it was very outdated.

Scrubbing himself as clean as he could, Henry shook the sand out of his clothes, cleaned his hands, got dressed and then padded out back in to the kitchen area. He first set the table with the appropriate number of plates, glasses and utensils. Seeing as they were one chair short, Henry went and pulled an empty yet sturdy crate from the back. Placing it on end, he put it right beside Shmi's chair. It would serve for a makeshift chair; albeit an uncomfortable one. Next, he went and helped Shmi with the food itself. She was making her stew, though Henry inwardly called it oatmeal. She was also adding some sort of capsules to the mix. At first glance Henry didn't recognize it but all Shmi would tell him about them was that Qui-Gon had given them to her.

Shrugging his shoulders, Henry took the single large bowl Shmi had, and filled it with an assortment of apples, which he then placed on the table. Next, he filled each glass half way with Blue Milk. By that time, dinner was prepared.

Henry called everyone to the table as Shmi started placing some of the food on each of the plates. Qui-Gon took the seat at the head of the table. Jar Jar took the first seat to Qui Gon's left and Anakin sat right beside the Gungan. Padme took the seat at the end of the table, directly across from Qui-Gon. Henry decided to go ahead and take the makeshift chair, leaving Shmi the only other chair, right beside him.

As they slowly began to eat, Henry didn't pay too much mind to the conversation. He ate his fill of the hot food and sipped on his Blue Milk, doing his best not to grimace at the taste.

"Has anyone ever seen a podrace?"

That was Anakin's voice. Putting his glass of milk back down on the table, Henry eyed those around the table. He saw Padme shake her head while Qui-Gon seemed to be contemplating something.

"They have Podracing on Malastare. Very fast, _very_ dangerous," Qui-Gon replied, popping some more food in to his mouth.

"Henry and I are the only humans who can do it!" Anakin said rather boastfully. A bit uncertain, Henry looked to Qui-Gon who eyed Anakin and then himself for a moment, before commenting, "You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods."

Just then, as Henry predicted, Jar Jar interrupted the conversation with that long tongue of his. A piece of fruit was snatched and Qui-Gon admonished his traveling companion.

"You're a Jedi Knight...aren't you."

Ah now we come to it. Abruptly, Henry shifted his gaze to Qui-Gon, who was staring at Anakin.

"What makes you think that?" The Jedi asked.

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi's carry that kind of weapon." Anakin pointed out. "Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." Qui-Gon commented.

"I don't think so," Anakin replied, "No one can kill a Jedi."

The rest of the conversation went as one would expect. Qui-Gon told them all why they were there: they were on a secret assignment from the Jedi Council on Coruscant. They were on Tatooine because their ship was damaged which has left them stranded.

Anakin volunteered to help, stating that he could fix anything. He then came up with that boyish idea of his. He had a racing pod which was the fastest one ever. Qui-Gon could trick Watto in to making the toydarian think it was his and then Qui-Gon could convince the flying blue creature to let Anakin pilot it for him.

Of course Shmi was scared and tried to talk Anakin out of it, but once Anakin pulled on her heart strings by reminding Shmi of something she had said before, it was all over.

"No...there is no other way," Shmi pointed out in the end. "I may not like it but, he can help you. He was meant to help you."

All eyes went to Qui-Gon, who seemed to be deep in thought for several long moments.

"Very well," he said with a smile and a slight nod of his head.

After that the rest of the meal went on like normal. Once it was over, Henry helped Shmi clear the table and wash the dishes. By that time the storm had ended. Anakin and Qui-Gon headed out to go speak with Watto while Henry went out back to work on Anakin's racer, since he knew that once Watto gave the okay, Anakin would be back to work on it. As he worked, his mind was a flutter of activity. He had to think of something fast; something that could insure his escape from Tatooine and he only had roughly a day in which to do it. Hmm, decisions decisions.


	8. Chapter Seven - Searching for a Lost Boy

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Seven: Searching for a Lost Boy_

In the name of everything that is good and decent in this world! They had Henry! Emma stood there looking towards the pier where Greg and Tamara had her boy in their midst. They started to struggle. Well done Henry! If only he could only keep them busy for a few more moments then...wait!

"The last bean!" Regina exclaimed, "They've opened a portal."

There was a green flash and then the swirling portal just appeared, exactly like it had done before with other bean that had taken Neal! As one, Regina, Emma and her mother and her father started running full steam towards the pier even as Greg and Tamara grabbed Henry and jumped.

"No...!" Emma shouted, skidding ever so slightly as she got to the edge. She was about to dive in to the portal when her father, Prince Charming grabbed her and held her back. "No! No!" Emma shouted once more, continuing to struggle, even as the portal closed. "We have to follow them! There has to be a way!"

"The problem is we don't know where they went, but Hook stole the last bean!" Regina pointed out. She was beyond furious at that moment, but at least the Queen knew how to hold her anger in check when she wanted to; unlike the blonde Sheriff of the town who was still trying to get out of her father's grasp.

"I don't care!" Emma shot back, still continuing to struggle. "Without it there's no way to follow!" Regina replied.

"There has to be!" Emma exclaimed, eyes wide with fright, "We can't just let them take Henry!" She was so scared that she was about to burst in to tears when a voice behind them asked, "They've taken Henry?"

Everyone glanced behind them to see Mr. Gold and Belle calmly walking up, the cool wind whipping through Rumpelstiltskin's hair.

"Yeah. Dark One, do something!" David demanded as he gently released his daughter, who started to plead with Mr. Gold.

"Gold, help us!" she said, desperately. If anyone could open up a portal, it was the Dark One.

"There's no way!" Mr. Gold pointed out. "I spent a life time trying to cross worlds to find my son. There's no way in this world without a portal."

"So that's it?" Regina asked, her voice a mixture of anguish and anger, "He's gone forever?!"

When Gold didn't reply to her question, everyone took that to mean an unspoken 'yes.' Regina shook her head, refusing to burst in to tears. "I refuse to believe that!" she said, wishing and hoping that the others would refuse to believe it too. They couldn't just give up on her son without even trying!

Something in the distance caught Belle's gaze. Curious, she stepped forward, squeezing past David and Mary Margaret to get a closer look at the object that was sailing on the water, heading right for them.

"What is that?" she asked.

Everyone turned to look at the huge ship that was making it's way ever closer to them at a steady pace.

"Hook..." Emma breathed, scarcely daring to hope. Maybe it wasn't too late, especially if that one handed pirate still held the last bean!

It seemed to take forever for the Jolly Roger to dock, but once it did and the ship dropped anchor, Everyone headed for the side of the grand ship as Hook himself, Captain Killian Jones, headed down the ramp.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma asked, seemingly more composed than she had been minutes earlier.

"Helping..." Hook replied with an almost 'I can't believe I'm doing this' tone of voice.

"Well you are too late..." Emma replied, reaching the end of the ramp just as Hook did.

"Am I?" Hook asked, stopping where he was to eye the beautiful blonde that was blocking his way. At any other time he would have thought about trying to sweep Emma off of her feet, but seeing the look in her eyes, he realized that now was definitely not the time to try any of his normal tricks.

"I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself," Emma said, watching as Hook pulled yet another small pouch from his jacket.

"Maybe I just needed remembering that I could," he replied, glancing at the pouch for a minute before handing it over to Emma.

Emma for her part looked at Hook for just a moment longer than necessary before she took the pouch, opened it and shook the only bean in the pouch in to her hand where it gleamed in her hand.

"Enough waiting around, let's go!" Regina said, surprised, yet happy that Hook had come to his senses and given up the bean.

"Go?" Hook asked, "Where? I thought we were saving the town."

"We already did," David replied.

"We need to get Henry. Greg and Tamara took him through a portal." Emma said. "Well I offer my ship and my services to help follow them," Hook said.

"Well that's great Hook, but, how will we track them?" Regina asked.

"Leave that to me. I can get us where we need to go," Mr. Gold declared.

Hook eyed Mr. Gold warily; still obviously not liking the man who had oh so long ago killed the love of his life. Still, the pirate wisely said nothing. Instead, he turned and headed back up the ramp, with Emma, Regina, Snow White and Prince Charming following close behind. Mr. Gold hobbled towards the ramp with Belle following close beside him. He seemed about to say something to her, which Belle caught. Before a word could be uttered, Belle said, "Rumpel, I want to help you. The only way I can do that is to come with you."

Mr. Gold shook his head and lovingly took her arm as he looked deep in to her eyes. He pointed out that the town of Storybrooke was no longer safe and that he needed Belle to stay behind in order to make sure that Storybrooke remained safe. With the Curse broken, whatever magic there had been protecting the town from the outside world was gone. Greg and Tamara's presence was clear enough proof of that. A cloaking spell had to be cast in order to protect the town, and only Belle could do that.

It was a hard won argument but finally Belle agreed to stay behind. She promised Gold that they would see each other again, even after he had made it clear that he didn't expect he would return. They shared a brief yet loving kiss and then Belle turned away, clearly heartbroken but willing to do as her love requested. Mr. Gold, close to tears, watched Belle leave before he hobbled up the ramp and on to the Jolly Roger.

Being on board the ship again wasn't easy. One of the last times he remembered being on board; apart from the emergency sail home in which Baelfire sailed the ship from New York to Storybrooke in order to get him help, was when he had demanded the Bean, and subsequently ripped Milah's heart out, crushing it in front of Hook, after taking his hand.

"So!" Mr. Gold said, seeing Hook approach, "Are you done trying to kill me?"

"I believe so..." Hook replied rather uneasily. One could hear the slight hatred in his voice, but he did back down.

"Excellent! Then you can live..." Mr. Gold replied, slipping in to his Rumpelstiltskin attitude for the briefest of moments.

The two villains had a 'if looks could kill' moment pass between them. Without taking his eyes off of Hook, Gold waved a hand and a puff of purple smoke appeared. Once the smoke cleared away, in it's place was an oddly shaped globe with a sharp point on its end.

Wordlessly, Mr. Gold pricked his finger on the sharp tip and then allowed a drop of his blood to fall on to the clear surface of the globe. The blood seemed to turn in to an almost liquid sort of cloud which floated around the interior of the blood before it formed something circular. Everyone leaned in close, trying to identify what the globe showed.

"Where is that?" Regina asked.

Emma eyed the location closely. It was a planet; that was clear. But where? There were no clear land masses, nor an ocean! It was like a big desert!

"I don't recognize it..." Hook said, "Neither do I," Mr. Gold said. Just like that though, the planet disappeared and the entire globe went dark.

"I'm just going to state the obvious here," Hook began, "We can't take my ship as there doesn't appear to be any water and I'm not just about to leave my ship in some unknown land; present land excluded." "Oh how generous..." Regina muttered. "No, he's right," Emma replied. "We have to plan this rescue..."

"Hold on, five minutes ago you were willing to just throw the bean and go after them. Now you want to wait?" Regina asked.

"You saw that world just like I did," Emma pointed out, "I would very much like to just go after him here and now. However, the fact still remains that we are in no condition right now to go to a 'desert world.' There could be thousands of desert realms out there and if we don't know exactly which one he went to...Regina. We only get one shot at this. If we open a portal and go to the wrong one...we will never find him."

"Why not just think of that planet?" Hook asked, "It's how portals work. It takes you to the place you think about."

"Without any sort of context, it could take us anywhere," Emma said. Seeing that Hook still didn't truly understand, it was Mary Margaret that spoke up. "If Henry were on..." she paused to think up a name of a planet, "Mars, and we used the bean to send us to a planet that looked very similar, but wasn't the right one, we would never find him and then we would be trapped just like he is now." "Exactly," Emma replied. "We need to investigate and see if we can come up with an educated guess as to which desert realm they went to. Right now we are just grasping at straws."

As one they all left Hook's ship and started heading back in to town. Of course none of them wanted to point out the fact that no one knew who's world Henry went to. Did the portal take them to a world of Greg's design or was it Henry's or Tamara's? All possibilities needed to be looked in to as best they could, even though it seemed like an impossible task right at that moment.

 **…**

The breeze ruffled his hair and there was the faint scent of something sweet, but he couldn't place it. Slowly, the young man opened his eyes and looked around at his surroundings. He saw trees and stone walls and...

"Who are you?" a female voice asked.

Turning his gaze to the side, Neal Cassidy took in the form of a lady, but she was dressed just like a soldier.

"Neal..." he whispered in reply. Footsteps approached from somewhere he couldn't see. Just then a beautiful woman in a gown and a man, also in armor came in to view. They looked like fairy tale royalty if there ever was one!

"Is he well?" The woman asked. "Well enough to be questioned..." the strange man replied. The woman in the dress poured a clear glass of crystal clear water and helped Neal sit up and take a sip.

"Where am I?" he asked after he swallowed the cool liquid. "You are in our kingdom," the beautiful woman replied. Okay, that told him absolutely nothing of use!

"Where is your kingdom?" Neal asked. "The Enchanted Forest." The armored man replied.

That news shocked Neal to his core. "I'm...back...?" he whispered, not believing it. Home?! The bean had really brought him back home?!

"Back?" The beautiful lady asked, "You mean you are from here?"

"He's lying," the armored girl said, "Look at his clothing. He's from the same realm Emma and Snow are from."

"Emma?" Neal asked recognizing the spoken name immediately, "Emma Swan? You know her?" He sat up on the couch like bed and swung his legs over the side.

"I have to get back to them..." he muttered. The others quickly stopped him from standing up. Words flew by his head, something about being gravely injured and needing rest.

"I'm sorry!" he said, "I have to know if Emma and Henry are safe..." He looked from one to the other until he came to the beautiful woman who looked at him with some recognition.

"You are Henry's father..." she said.

Neal said nothing but he did nod his head. The beautiful girl shook her head and said, "Forgive me. I'm Princess Aurora and this is my husband Prince Philip and this is..." she looked towards the other girl who stepped up and said, "Mulan."

"Please...can you help me? I have to get back to Storybrooke..." Neal begged.

Philip, Aurora and Mulan looked at each other wordlessly, before Aurora smiled and said, "We will do our best."


	9. Chapter Eight - Boonta Eve Podrace

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Eight: Boonta Eve Podrace_

The Boonta Eve Classic podrace. It was finally time for the epic race that was destined to change Anakin's life forever, and Henry was still on the fence about it.

His mind flashed back to the previous night, after Anakin had finally finished his racer. He and Anakin had been sitting outside, talking with Qui-Gon. The Jedi Knight was both patient and kind as he answered their questions; never seeming as if he were getting annoyed at anything.

When Qui-Gon had noticed the cut on Anakin's arm and had cleaned it up, Shmi had come along and called both boys to bed. At Qui-Gon's bidding, both boys hopped up and went back inside, but Henry made sure he forgot something which gave him an excuse to return later once he was all ready for bed.

Smoothly he took off his boots, combed his hair and made sure his teeth were clean before he snuck towards the rear entrance. He heard Qui-Gon on his communicator with someone, but Henry knew that someone to be Obi-Wan.

" _The readings' off the chart! Over twenty thousand! Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midichlorian count that high!"_ Obi-Wan had said.

"No Jedi has..." Qui-Gon replied. _"What does that mean?"_ came the next question. Once Qui-Gon had replied that he wasn't sure what it meant, Henry did a quick forty second countdown in his head. Once that countdown reached zero, the young lad walked outside to rejoin Qui-Gon.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Henry?" Qui-Gon had asked.

"Yes, sir..." Henry had replied with a nod of his head, "I was just...I forgot this!" He went over to the wall where he had been seated earlier, bent down and retrieved a little trinket. It was circular and black with a metal swan set in it's middle, and a simple, black string around it. The swan had been part of a keychain that Neal had given to Emma around the time they first met. Emma had given the keychain back to Neal, who had then given it to Henry after he found out that Henry was his son, and it was the only thing that Henry hadn't buried; well, besides his iPod Nano, of course.

"What's that?" Qui-Gon had asked.

"It belonged to my mom," Henry explained. "It's the only thing I have of hers." Walking the few steps over to Qui-Gon, Henry held out the necklace, which Qui-Gon took and looked at with interest. After a few moments he said, "It's very beautiful. I'm sure you must miss her greatly."

"Yes. It just pains me that I'll never see her again. I do my best to accept it, but some days it is difficult," Henry replied. He did his best to sound brave and accepting but he wasn't sure if Qui-Gon had bought it or not.

"Why do you think you will never see her again?" the Jedi asked. Henry had sighed and looked behind him to make sure that Shmi wasn't there. Not seeing her, he turned to look back at Qui-Gon. "Because..." he began, "because I'm not originally from this realm. Months ago I was taken away from my home and made to jump through a portal that was created using magic. The only way back is through another portal but there's no way that I know of to create another one and...if my mom had a way of creating one from her end, she would have done so already. When I got here, Raiders found me, but they didn't hurt me. They killed my kidnappers and then let me go. Anakin found me and...they pretty much adopted me. I don't know where I'd be without them." Henry looked up at Qui-Gon, seeing the other Jedi pondering something very hard.

"You...don't know anything about portals, do you, Master sir?" he asked, trying to be polite.

"No, I'm afraid not young Henry. But don't worry. I have a feeling that you will see your mother again..."

Henry had smiled at that, nodded his head and had begun to turn back towards the hovel, but Qui-Gon had suddenly snaked out his hand and gently grabbed Henry's right arm.

"When did this happen?" The Jedi asked. Confused, Henry had looked down at the arm in question to see dried and drying blood soaking in to the outfit where his forearm was.

"I dunno..." Henry said, not remembering ever injuring his arm. Now that he actually saw it and knew the injury was there, that was when he had become acutely aware of the burning sensation. Great! Now it was going to make trying to actually sleep, difficult! Smoothly, the Jedi Knight had cleaned and dressed the injury with a cloth bandage and once he was done Henry had gone straight to bed. He thought about hiding just within the doorway, wondering if Qui-Gon would contact his apprentice for another midichlorian count on his blood, but then he figured he was better off not knowing yet. All that mattered was he knew he was sensitive to the Force. That was enough for him.

…

Removing the fuel nozzle from his pod, Henry rolled up the hose while a droid came out and took the rest of the assembly off the course. Smoothing his racing tunic, Henry looked over and saw Anakin with Sebulba. He thought about mentioning the Dug's sabotaging of the podracer, but then thought better of it when he remembered that even when the piece failed, Anakin still managed to pull off the win.

Once the wily Dug had finished his insult and walked away, Henry jogged over before Qui-Gon could reach the blonde boy.

"Good luck out there today, Ani." Henry said, gripping Anakin's shoulder for a moment. Anakin smiled at him joyously. "You too! See you at the finish line!" he replied.

Nodding at Qui-Gon who had already reached the two of them, Henry smiled once more at Anakin before he returned to his own pod and climbed in.

The restraints were already warmed up thanks to the planet's twin suns. Still, slipping in to them and tightening them up was easy. Next came the helmet. It was much like Anakin's own, save the color was different and the shape of the attached goggles was different. Finally, Henry slipped in to his black gloves and rested his hands in his lap.

"Remember," he whispered to himself, "Feel, don't think, Use your instincts." It was exactly what he knew Qui-Gon told Anakin, and it was sound advice. Noticing everyone else firing up their engines, just as the order to do so came over the loudspeakers, Henry reached down, took the black lever in hand and pushed it up several times and just like that his engines roared to life; the power coupling linking the two together holding steady.

The field cleared agonizingly slow, but once all of the blasted flags were gone, Henry's eyes flicked up to the darkened display which, when lit would signal the start of the race.

"Come on, come on..." he whispered, hands hovering over the controls. All of a sudden the light flashed on, a brilliant green color. and the race had begun!

Immediately, Henry pushed the button on his podracer and the entire thing shot forward, picking up speed immediately. He flew right by his brother who was still on the starting line, along with Ben Quadinaros.

First came the Flats. It was one of the easier parts to the course and one of the only parts where it was 'safe' to challenge the other racers for position. Tightening his grip on his controls, Henry rocketed forward. He stretched out with all of his feelings; all his concentration, becoming a part of his pod. Every knock and shimmy, every gust of wind that tried to whip it around; he felt it all and corrected for it. Catching up to some of the racers, Henry tried to pass them but was only able to shoot past one before he had to tuck his racer in behind the others as they all entered Waldo Flats and Mushroom Mesa.

Seeing Metta Drop just up ahead, Henry positioned himself behind Ebe Endocott and just as the Drop came upon him, Henry boosted and managed to frog jump over Ebe. It was a risky gamble; one that Anakin said not to try too many times or the other racers would get wise to it. Still, it was a gamble that paid off that time.

Flying through Beggar's Canyon, Henry decided not to go on the offensive yet, but to just keep his place in the race for right that second; given what was coming up. The Whip and Jag Crag Gorge flew by but when Henry saw Laguna Cave coming up, he gulped a little.

The sun disappeared when his pod entered in to the cave. There was hardly any light in there at all save the light from the engines of the other racers. Henry used those as well as his feelings through the Force to guide him through. He didn't exactly close his eyes, but he concentrated on what he was feeling flowing through his fingers and then just like that he shot through the cave, narrowly missing the last stalactite hanging from the ceiling.

As usual there were Tusken Raiders camped out on the Canyon Dune Turn and several did take pot shots at him. One shot hit his pod but caused no damage at all.

Getting through Bendy Bind was a bit of a challenge; more than once he almost hit a huge rock boulder, but the Force warned him in time to avoid it. Finally, he emerged on to the Hutt Flats, the last straightaway heading back towards the arena.

Within thirty seconds he entered the area and just like that the first lap was done, leaving two more to go.

Henry was getting so in to the race that he almost forgot about Anakin. That is until the silver and blue racer blew right past him. Inwardly grinning, Henry thought _'Now it's a race!'_ He zipped by Gasgano, hot on his brother's trail.

The two of them flew by Teemto Pagalies and Aldar Beedo; both racers giving the two brothers a little bit of trouble. Teemto had tried to cause Anakin to crash but the blonde had managed to get past him on one side and Henry the other.

Soon, Henry found himself in fourth place, right behind Anakin. That was when he saw it: Sebulba took out one of Mars Guo's engines! The engines exploded and Mars' pod went flying off; Anakin almost hitting the thing! Henry swerved his pod away from the damage, managing not to get hit as well.

Just like that however, Henry found himself in third place! Passing through the arena, Henry didn't even hear the race announcer stating their positions. Instead, he was focused on the race, because it was now or never. He could play it safe and just stay behind Anakin and come in third...well...second once Sebulba crashed, or he could be the jerk and fly by the two of them at the end...or...

Henry sat up straighter, an idea suddenly coming to him. If only he could get away with it...! Inwardly nodding his head, he increased his speed, making sure to stick fairly close to his brother. He watched as Sebulba forced Anakin on to the service ramp and the blonde's pod shot up straight in to the air. Keeping his speed steady, Henry waited until Anakin came down in front of Sebulba before he sped up a little, knowing that the Dug would be more focused on Anakin than him.

He almost pulled up along side but was forced to slow down when he got a face full of black smoke from Anakin's engine which had suddenly caught fire due to the Dug's earlier meddling. Having no choice, Henry flew right by Anakin's pod, taking second place while his brother made on the fly repairs to that damaged engine of his.

Not daring to challenge Sebulba yet, Henry moved his pod to Sebulba's left, letting his brother rocket by him on the right after a few moments. Seeing Anakin's damaged engine which was still in operation, Henry saw that the fire was out. It had been a close call, but neither boy was out of the race yet!

Henry waited, biding his time. Once he saw Anakin and Sebulba's pod become tangled together, he knew that was his que. It was now or never. Increasing his speed a bit more, he drew up along Sebulba's pod on the left, watching Anakin and the Dug seemingly battle their controls; Sebulba more than Anakin. Remembering which way the engine and pod would go once Anakin boosted, Henry allowed for the room as his left hand went down to the boost lever.

 _'Three...two...one...'_ he counted down in his head. Once the counter reached zero he pushed the lever down and his boosters came to life, rocketing him forward at the same time Anakin boosted, breaking his own pod free and sending Sebulba's pod flying off in several directions.

The two boys were neck and neck flying through the Hutt Flats, racing towards the area. Out of the corner of his eye, Henry saw Anakin glance at him, and he did the same to his brother. An unspoken understanding passed between the two of them as they entered the arena, their engines side-by-side as they passed the finish line. It was a complete two way tie! At first there was a moment of complete silence from the crowd; no one obviously expecting that sort of race result. Once that moment passed however, the crowd irrupted in to a chorus of cheers.

Bringing his pod to a halt, Henry killed the engines, undid his restraints and took off his helmet and his gloves before he jumped out and ran over to Anakin's pod.

"Mom!" Henry heard Anakin say, "We did it!" Grinning from ear to ear, Henry started to clap as Anakin caught sight of him.

"We did it!" Henry declared, ecstatic for the both of them. There was no way that Watto would be able to not free Anakin and there was no way that Deak and Lyam could be furious at him; technically he still won even though it was a tie. At that moment, Henry felt on top of the world. He just never thought how quickly that feeling could change.


	10. Chapter Nine - Tests and Training

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Nine: Tests and Training_

It was now an hour and a half after the race. All of the crowd had dispersed, chanting Anakin and Henry's name. All of the racers had left and now the area was just as dead quiet as it normally was.

Deak and Lyam weren't too thrilled to share a win, but they grudgingly accepted it. Besides, having a tie in a podrace was relatively unheard of, especially since Sebulba generally won, and didn't like anyone coming in too close behind him.

Rubbing his right shoulder, Henry began to trudge back towards the hovel. He didn't tell his sponsors that he wasn't going to race again because he himself didn't know if he would or not. Besides, if he wasn't allowed to come with his brother, he would have to stay on Tatooine for who knows how long and what better way to bide his time and hopefully save some truguts than by racing?

Reaching the Slave Quarters, young Henry only hesitated for a moment before he pushed the button which triggered the door to open.

"Yippee!" Anakin's thrilled voice and the quick running of footsteps were the first things that Henry heard when he entered into his home. "Henry! Guess what!" Anakin said upon seeing his brother, "I've been freed and I'm going away in a starship!"

Smiling, Henry gave his brother a quick high-five, seeing just how excited the other was. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed, "So happy for you! Is your mom coming too?"

Curious and seemingly a bit fearful, Henry watched Anakin turn back to Shmi and Qui-Gon. "What about mom?" he asked, "and Henry?! Are...are they free too? You are coming with us aren't you mom? Henry?"

"Ani, I tried to free your mother, but Watto wouldn't have it," Qui-Gon explained. Seeing Anakin's demeanor drop was heartbreaking for all involved. Henry wanted to hug his brother and point out that he wasn't a slave, so his own freedom was a moot point, but he held his tongue.

"Son, my place is here. My future is here." Shmi began, lovingly taking hold of Anakin's hands as she looked into his blue eyes. "It is time for you to let go."

Henry stood where he was, doing his best to hold in his own emotions as he watched tears start to trickle down Anakin's face.

"I don't want things to change..." Anakin replied.

"But you can't stop the change!" Shmi pointed out softly, kindly, "Anymore than you can stop the suns from setting...I love you..." Gently she pressed a caress to Anakin's right cheek before she enveloped him in a loving hug which the young lad returned. After a few moments, Shmi leaned back and kissed her son on the cheek. Glancing at Henry, Shmi then made a quick decision. "I think however, Henry will go with you..." she said. Teary eyed, Anakin also leaned back from his mother and glanced at Henry.

Biting his lower lip, Henry glanced at Qui-Gon momentarily; the Jedi's face unreadable. Shrugging his shoulders, Henry slowly approached both mother and son. "I was never a slave," he pointed out, "and I'd love to come with you, but..."

"Please Henry!" Anakin begged, eyes bright with unshed tears.

The young brunette lad sighed and looked to Qui-Gon who was watching them closely. "Sir?" he asked. Inwardly he wondered if Qui-Gon would say yes or would tell him that he had to remain on the planet. Each second ticked by, seeming to last as long as an hour. Qui-Gon Jinn looked from both boys to Shmi and back, seemingly analyzing the situation.

Finally, the Jedi unfolded his arms from beneath his robe and said, "The choice is yours, Henry."

Standing up a little straighter, Henry smiled gratefully at Qui-Gon, returning his attention to Anakin.

The unspoken answer passed between both boys in the blink of an eye. Slowly a small smile filled Anakin's face as Shmi told them, "Now...hurry!" Needing no other prompting, both Anakin and Henry raced off to the bedroom that they shared.

…

Packing didn't take too long for either boy. Henry not having much in the way of clothing, apart from the tunic that Shmi had given him before, his racing uniform, his helmet and his gloves. He decided not to go out and hunt for the canister he had buried that had his old Storybrooke clothing. No, it was dead and buried. No sense in digging up the past. All he decided to take with him was the necklace he had made of his mother's key chain, the iPod and headphones, plus the clothes on his back.

While his brother packed, Henry went and switched on the protocol droid, C3PO.

"Hello, Master Anakin, Master Henry," the droid greeted, wobbling around on the unstable floor.

"Well Threepio, I've been freed and I'm going away on a starship," Anakin explained, the droid tracking his maker's every step.

"Master Anakin, you are my maker and I wish you well. However, I should prefer it if I were a little more completed," C3PO said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish you, Threepio; give you coverings and all. I'm going to miss working on you. You've been a great pal. I'll make sure mom doesn't sell you or anything. Bye!" Anakin replied, grabbing his pack and together he and Henry left the bedroom for the last time.

Once they were ready, they all left the hovel. Qui-Gon took the lead with Anakin and Henry right behind him. After only a few steps though, Anakin stopped and ran back to his mother. Henry however decided to stay where he was, a step behind Qui-Gon. Anakin needed this last moment with his mother because Henry knew the next time Anakin would see his mother, it wouldn't be pretty. Kidnapping, Sand People, and death; a lot of death. Time and again he had thought about telling Anakin but he didn't want to be called crazy, nor did he want to potentially damage his brother's faith and trust in him, so he kept quiet.

After a few minutes, Henry saw Shmi stand up with her hands on Anakin's shoulders and Anakin stood with his back against her and his eyes front. A gentle push was all it took for the blonde boy to start walking. Once he had caught up to Qui-Gon and Henry, they all began to head towards the outskirts of town. Many of the people they passed on the street continued to cheer their names when they were recognized. A few were irritated and claimed they somehow cheated, but neither of the two lads let those words bother them.

At Anakin's urging they made quick stops to say goodbye to Jira and Kitster; neither of them were happy that Anakin was leaving, but Jira for her part gave them all a pally for free and Kitster gave Anakin a hug. He followed them all to the outskirts, waving goodbye to his friends and then just like that, Henry and Anakin found themselves alone with the Jedi Knight, heading towards a starship that would take them off planet. Walking into the desert, the spaceport of Mos Espa slowly faded away with every step they took and eventually, a shiny ship appeared off in the distance. Jogging after the Jedi who had quickened his pace, Anakin and Henry soon found themselves out of breath.

"Qui-Gon sir! Wait! I'm tired...!" Anakin exclaimed.

The Jedi turned and suddenly there was a shrill warning of, "Boys! Drop!"

As one, Anakin and Henry dropped to the ground. Seconds later a speeder flew over the ground right where they had been standing moments earlier. A figure dressed in black jumped off of the speeder, lightsaber springing to life in all of its red bladed glory.

"Go!" Qui-Gon ordered, taking his own lightsaber in hand, igniting it as he faced his foe. "Tell them to take off!"

Jumping to his feet, Henry pulled his brother to his feet and together they ran towards the ship, their hearts pounding wildly. Soon enough they reached the ship and bounded up the somewhat steep ramp and entered into the cool interior of the ship. There was several degrees' difference in temperature, but Henry didn't allow himself to shiver as he followed after Anakin, who spied Padme and another dark skinned man, who was wearing some type of leather uniform.

"Qui-Gon's in trouble!" Anakin declared. Padme's surprise at seeing the both of them was quickly dampened as she quickly headed for the bridge; the brown skinned officer only a step behind, with Anakin and Henry following after her. Once on the bridge, Anakin and Henry saw another person in the same sort of attire as Qui-Gon. _Obi-Wan!_ Henry realized. He almost opened his mouth and spoke the name out loud but he managed not to. It wouldn't do to blurt out a name that he couldn't possibly know.

Instead, he stood by Anakin's side as the ship lifted off of the ground and headed for the distinct flashes of light that were off in the distance; light that could only be from lightsabers. When Obi-Wan left the bridge at a jog, Henry and Anakin followed after him. By the time they got back to the ramp, Qui-Gon was already there, on the floor with sweat pouring down his face.

"Are you alright?!" Anakin asked, worried.

"I think so," Qui-Gon replied, remaining seated on the cool floor of the ship.

"What was it?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'm not sure. Whatever it was, it was well trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is it was after the Queen." he replied.

"What are you going to do about it?" Henry asked. He received a glance from Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, but didn't back down as he kept his gaze on the older Jedi.

After a quick yet deep breath of air, the Jedi said, "We should be patient. Anakin Skywalker, Henry, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Hi!" Anakin said ecstatically, reaching out a hand to the younger Jedi who took it with a slight bit of hesitation. "You are a Jedi too?" Anakin asked, receiving a curt nod from Obi Wan, "Pleased to meet you!"

Qui-Gon chuckled at that, finding Obi Wan's facial expression rather amusing as it was one of hidden annoyance. Once Anakin had released the Jedi's hand, Henry offered his own hand to Obi Wan who also shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Obi Wan," he said respectfully, in a tone of voice that said that Obi Wan didn't need to reply if he didn't want to. Releasing the young Jedi's hand, he watched as Anakin and Obi Wan helped Qui-Gon to stand. Together, they all headed further into the ship as the ship's pilot Ric Olié aimed the ship towards the sky and open space and after that: Coruscant.

…

Sitting in a somewhat comfortable chair that was in a room that sort of looked like a war room or at least a meeting room, Henry heaved a sigh as he sat back and just had time to breathe and think. There really was a lot to think about: his arrival on Tatooine, the podrace, the Jedi, even getting to leave the desert planet to...to what though? That part the young lad was unsure about. Yes, when everything was all said and done, Anakin would be trained, but what about him? He was no 'Chosen One,' there was nothing special about him that could convince the Jedi Council to test him let alone let him be trained. Hell, he was only on this ship because A: Qui-Gon allowed it and B: Anakin was so distressed that his mother couldn't come that he needed someone else with him that he was familiar with. But, did Anakin really need a tag along? In the movie he seemed to blossom a little when he was on his own. He destroyed the Federation's Droid Control ship for crying out loud! To Henry, that didn't sound like a scared, timid kid that needed a security blanket.

Shivering a little, Henry slid onto his feet and walked over to the window, looking out at stars as the ship flew past. Yes, the ship was traveling through hyperspace, so the stars didn't look like stars, but long, drawn out lines, still in a way they were quite beautiful to behold. It was times like that; times that he was alone, that the young boy ached to be with his mother again. He missed them all and when he closed his eyes it was almost like he was seeing them again for the first time.

Opening his eyes, Henry reached down into his pocket and withdrew a small, blue object and a black object that was connected to it. It was his Fourth Generation Blue iPod Nano, complete with black ear buds. Putting one of the buds in his ear, Henry pressed 'Play' and suddenly a song filled his right ear.

" _And the cat's in the cradle, and the silver spoon. Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon. When ya' comin' home son? I don't know when, but we'll get together then dad. We're gonna have a good time then..."_

"Interesting song..." Henry jumped, quickly yanking the single ear bud from his ear and shoving the player and the ear buds back in to his pocket, ignoring the fact that the iPod was still playing _Cat's in the Cradle_. Turning around, face flushed with embarrassment, Henry came eye-to-eye with Qui-Gon's padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Forgive me if I startled you," the older man said with a slight incline of his head.

"No, it's alright," Henry replied, reaching into his pocket, pausing his iPod and then turning it off within a few seconds. He then put it on 'Hold' so that any more subsequent button pushes wouldn't turn it back on.

"I'll...I'll leave...if you need the room..." Henry offered, unsure why Obi-Wan was there in the first place. In Episode One, Obi-Wan didn't seem the type to just seek someone out whom he considered to be a 'pathetic life form.' Jar Jar was one such 'life form' and Henry knew that Anakin was as well. So, where did that put him?

"No, that is not necessary..." Obi-Wan replied, holding a single hand out, palm down. "I should have knocked first."

"Just looking for some place to get away?" Henry asked. He knew next to nothing about this time, from the ship's departure from Tatooine till their arrival on Coruscant, to the Jedi's first meeting with their Council. That all happened within the span of fifteen minutes, but this was not a movie anymore. This was 'real,' and so many new aspects needed to be taken into consideration.

"In a manner of speaking," Obi-Wan replied. Henry nodded in understanding. It was a small ship if one thought about it. Yes there were a lot of rooms, but there were also a lot of people on it, so finding an empty room to oneself wasn't easy. "Are you alright...?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to remember the name that Qui-Gon said.

Henry, guessing this, smiled a little before saying, "Henry, and..." he glanced out the window once more before he focused back on Obi-Wan. "It's just a lot to take in. One day my life is normal and then it's all a jumbled mess."

"I can imagine," the Jedi began, "coming from a simple life on Tatooine, I am sure this is all very new to you."

"It is," Henry agreed, "But...I'm not originally from Tatooine." Seeing Obi-Wan look at him with little to no understanding, Henry bit at his bottom lip. So, he had opened up a can of worms. Now, how was he going to explain this? "I was...taken from my home by kidnappers who have now passed on. We landed on Tatooine, which is how I met Anakin. I'd...I'd do anything to be able to go home, but it's not an option."

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked, curious.

"Because..." Henry paused, taking a deep breath before he plunged on ahead, "I'm not originally from this realm. I was taken from my home through a magical portal, which closed shortly after I got to Tatooine. In order to go home there would have to be another magic portal, but as far as I'm aware of, there is no such device, bean or whatever, that could open up a portal that can cross realms here in this realm."

It was clear from Obi-Wan's face that he was having a little trouble processing the whole 'crossing realms' bit of the story, but Henry didn't know how to further describe it. He hoped that the Jedi wouldn't ask because he wouldn't know what to say. "I do miss my mom, my family," Henry finally continued, "but it's something I'm working towards putting behind me. I can't hold on to the hope that they'll find me forever. I think that if mom was able, she would have been able to find me already. Since she hasn't..." he shrugged a little.

Obi-Wan for his part could now understand why his Master was so intrigued by this boy. With Anakin, Qui-Gon believed that the boy was the Chosen One mentioned in the Prophecy of the boy who would bring balance to the Force. Obi-Wan didn't know if he bought that story, even with Anakin's high midichlorian count, but it didn't matter. The Council would never allow the boy to be trained anyway. He was far too old. With Henry however, there really was something about him. Something lost yet strong. The Force rolled off of the lad in waves. It, in a way, was almost visible to the Jedi, especially when the lad was in such a state of remorse, grief and bravery.

"Never give up hope, Henry," Obi-Wan said, approaching him and placing a hand on his right shoulder. There was something soothing and hopeful in the Jedi Padawan's voice. So much so that for a brief moment Henry actually had hope; hope that Emma would still come for him.

Nodding, Henry walked along with Obi-Wan as the older lad led him out of the war room and into an open cabin. It was supposed to be his and Qui-Gon's, but Qui-Gon was on the bridge and Obi-Wan himself wasn't tired. Besides, Qui-Gon wouldn't be angered if he let the boy have a few hours sleep. They still had a good few hours before they were due to arrive on Coruscant, and Henry did look like he was fixing to drop.

"Get some sleep. We will be arriving on Coruscant soon enough," he said.

…

Five and a half hours later the Queen's transport soared through the air of the city planet known as Coruscant. Obi-Wan woke Henry up when they were ready to disembark. First off the ship was the Queen of Naboo, her entourage of handmaidens, and Captain Panaka. Next came Henry and Anakin, side-by-side, and behind them were Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and behind them was Jar Jar who looked just as lost as ever.

They met with Supreme Chancellor Valorum and Senator Palpatine on the landing platform. Henry couldn't help but eye the Senator for a minute because he knew what no one else did at that point: that Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Standing there in his Senator garb, he looked wise and innocent at the same time. Man, no wonder no one ever knew for a long time!

"Welcome Your Highness. It's an honor to finally meet you in person," Chancellor Valorum greeted the Queen.

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," the Queen said as they all turned and began to head towards the inner city transport. Being behind the Queen, the Chancellor and the Senator, yet standing in front of the handmaidens; when everyone started walking, naturally Henry and Anakin did as well.

"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation. I've called for a special Session of the Senate to hear your position," The Supreme Chancellor said.

Padme turned her ornately covered head to look at the elder man for a moment before she said, "I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor."

"There is a question of procedure, but I'm confident we can overcome it," Senator Palpatine began.

A few steps more and they all reached the inner city transport. While waiting for the Queen and her handmaidens to board first, it was then that Anakin and Henry both heard Qui-Gon's voice coming from far behind them. Turning, they both looked back to see that the Jedi; Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both, hadn't moved from their spots and were now beside the Supreme Chancellor. Qui-Gon had requested that he and his Padawan be allowed to talk to the Jedi Council immediately because the situation had become much more urgent.

"Ani, Henry...come on." Looking back at the transport, Anakin and Henry saw that Padme was beckoning to them. Should they stay or should they go? Glancing back at Qui-Gon, who was watching them; one little 'go on' gesture from the Jedi Master was all it took for the two boys to clamber onto the front seat of the transport; with Anakin sitting right beside Jar Jar, while Henry himself took up the last half a seat.

"The Queen is bein' grossly nice mesa thinks," the Gungan muttered to Anakin moments before the transport took off, heading for the Senate building.

…

The Jedi Council were a little surprised when Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, entered the council chambers at a hurried pace; well, hurried for Qui-Gon. After the customary bow of respect was given by the Master and Apprentice, the older of the two began to fill the Council in on the mission thus far: How Nute Gunray had invaded the planet of Naboo, their escape with the Queen, and their little side adventure on Tatooine. When the Master got to the part in the story where he saw the Sith, he paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"The mission was complete, and on my return to the ship, a being with immense, dark power attacked me. He was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that he was a Sith Lord." Qui-Gon said.

"Impossible! The Sith have been extinct for a millennium!" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said, glancing at Master Yoda and Master Windu.

"I do not believe that the Sith could have returned without us knowing," Mace Windu agreed.

"Ahh. Hard to see the Dark Side is," Yoda commented, being the only Master on the Council who seemed to at least heed Qui-Gon's word.

"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery. We _will discover_ the identity of your attacker," Mace promised. There was no doubt that one of their own had been attacked, but by a Sith? The Sith had destroyed themselves many years ago when they began to battle not only themselves as well as their Jedi enemies. All the Jedi really had to do was sit back and let the Sith destroy themselves, which they eventually did. "May the Force be with you," Mace said.

The two Jedi bowed; the 'May the Force be with you' line was the signal that the audience with the Council was over. Indeed, for Obi-Wan it was over! There was no more news to discuss with the Council. The Queen was safe on Coruscant and if she had her way in the Senate, the blockade and invasion of her world would be cleared up. Really, it was time to head back to the little apartment in the temple that he shared with his Master. Heading back towards the doorway that led out of the chamber, Obi-Wan was already secretly planning on what he would do once he got back to his bedroom, when he heard Master Yoda's voice coming from behind him.

"Master Qui-Gon. _More_ to say have you?"

Turning around, Obi-Wan saw that his Master hadn't moved an inch and was still standing in the middle of the room, facing The Council. Obi-Wan wanted to roll his eyes and sigh but he thought better of it. He knew what was coming and he was hoping that the Council wouldn't buy it. Sometimes his Master took pity on just the wrong sort of people, and his two new charges...well...wasn't that taking things a step too far?

"With your permission, My Master," Qui-Gon began as he took a deep breath, "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

The room was silent for a moment before Yoda gently leaned forward in his chair and asked, "A vergence you say?"

"Located around a person?" Mace Windu asked.

"A boy," Qui-Gon said, "In fact two boys. Both of their cells have the highest concentration of midichlorians that I have ever seen in a life form; one with just a slightly higher count than the other. It is possible that this one was conceived by the midichlorians, and the other? I believe it to be possible that the midichlorians also played a part in his conception." Qui-Gon said nothing about Henry's parents, for it was indeed true that he did have a mother and a father, unlike Anakin who just had a mother with no male involvement whatsoever with the conception. Still, if the boy was right and he did in fact come from a different realm, who's to say that the Force hadn't played a role in it?

"You refer to the Prophecy of the One who will Bring Balance to the Force," Mace said, eying Qui-Gon closely. "You believe it's one of these boys?"

"I don't presume..." Qui-Gon began, but Master Yoda interrupted him.

"But you do. Revealed your opinion is!"

"I request that the boys be tested, Master," Qui-Gon said. Mace Windu lifted his eyebrows, giving the Jedi his best somewhat sarcastic 'oh really?!' face even though he kept his mouth shut. Qui-Gon Jinn was one of those Jedi who liked to play things fast and loose with the rules, claiming it to be the Will of the Force. During his missions he was the one to take chances; make friends with the unwashed of society. Too many; including Obi-Wan at times, Qui-Gon's choices were very reckless, but most of the time they did work out.

"Oh! Trained as a Jedi you request for them, hmm?" Yoda asked in a tone of voice that clearly said that he saw right through Qui-Gon.

"Finding them was the Will of the Force, I have no doubt of that," the Master said, eying Grand Master Yoda with his soft, gentle, pleading eyes.

Ugh, again with the whole 'Will of the Force' bit?! Mace Windu was almost completely fed up with it as it seemed it was Qui-Gon's go to phrase whenever he really wanted or believed in something. Still, this time the request wasn't all that ridiculous. It was simply testing two children.

Ki-Adi-Mundi looked to Yoda, who looked to his apprentice, Mace Windu. A silent decision was passed between all of the council before Mace sighed and said, "Bring them before us then,"

Bowing in respect, Qui-Gon softly said, "Yes Master," before he left the room, his padawan trailing behind.

…

Several hours had passed by since their arrival on Coruscant. Anakin, Henry and Jar Jar had first sat outside of Senator Palpatine's office and then when that had ended, they had all been taken to a giant hotel; at least that's what Henry was reminded of. There were plenty of rooms, some were bigger and some were smaller. The Queen was put up in one of the best rooms, and Anakin and Henry were put up in a plain and simple room with two beds and a nice 'fresher unit. The two lads hadn't had much rest but by the time they were thinking about settling down and trying to get some sleep, they were both contacted by Qui-Gon. They were going to go to the Jedi Temple to meet with the Council. Anakin was excited at this prospect, thinking that he was going to start his training right away. Henry however knew that this wasn't the case, but he was afraid of crushing Anakin's hopes so he said nothing.

While Anakin went to tell Padme, Henry went down to the lobby where Qui-Gon had promised that he would be waiting. The lobby was packed, humanoids, droids of all shapes and sizes...it was indeed a mad house. Still, within five minutes Qui-Gon had arrived, and four minutes after that, Anakin caught up with them and together they all headed for the Jedi Temple.

To keep things fair, once they arrived, Anakin and Henry were separated from Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and taken up to the very top of the Jedi Temple. Anakin went in first to face the Council, while Henry sat outside on the ground. He knew how the testing for Anakin was going to go. Anakin would be able to identify the things on screen but he wouldn't be mindful of his feelings and at the end Yoda would sense all of the fear and turmoil within him.

Sitting back against the cool wall, Henry closed his eyes and attempted to calm and center himself. While he didn't hear anything that was going on in the council chamber, he felt all of Anakin's emotions. He felt the uncertainty and nervousness and then he felt the cold loneliness and an image of Shmi entered his mind for a brief moment. Anakin missed his mother. Really, what child Anakin's age wouldn't miss his mother?!

After a few hours the doors opened and Anakin trudged out, looking like he had gone several rounds with Sebulba and lost. Standing up, Henry eyed his brother momentarily before he looked into the council chamber to see several sets of eyes on him, just waiting for him to step forward. Once Anakin had passed by, Henry let out a deep breath before he entered the Council chamber; the door slowly closing behind him like a jail cell.

Walking to the great big middle of the room, Henry saw that all of the window blinds were drawn and dim lights from overhead shone down, illuminating the room.

Bowing out of respect, Henry stood his ground with his arms at his sides and his gaze even on Master Yoda and Master Windu.

"Identify yourself," Mace commanded, black hands folded with fingertips together in front of him.

"My name is Henry Mills, sir." He replied.

"Hmm, tell us about yourself, you will," Yoda said, pointing a green finger at him.

Henry blinked twice before he looked between Yoda and Mace Windu; both of whom were eying him intently. Henry could feel the soft probing in his mind from the Council and thus knew that it would be very unwise to lie. "Yes sir," Henry began. "I'm twelve years old and I'm from a planet known as Earth. It's in a different realm." He watched all of the Council look to one another for a moment before looking back at him. Did they all doubt what he just said or were they trying to muddle through it?

"A different realm you say?" Yoda asked.

Henry nodded. "I was kidnapped and taken through a portal that makes it possible to travel between realms; magic, really. The portal collapsed shortly after I found myself on Tatooine."

"And there is no chance of another portal opening?" Mace asked.

"Honestly?" Henry began, "I don't know. In my realm, the only way to open a portal is through a magic bean, or some other source of magic. I have not heard of anything even remotely similar in this realm." He paused, looking at the Masters as they all took that tidbit of information in.

"If the opportunity came, I would greatly love to go home, but right now I don't think that's an option."

"And, do you know why you are here?" Master Ki Adi Mundi asked.

Almost immediately Henry nodded his head, fixing the older Master with his young gaze. "Yes, sir," he replied. "Master Qui-Gon has a belief that either my brother or myself have great potential, and that one of us may be the one that an ancient prophecy speaks of." Falling silent, the young lad watched all of the Master's look one to another. He couldn't tell if it was shock or perhaps a slight disbelief that he even knew that. Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant.

"Hmm, what think you of Master Qui-Gon's belief?" Yoda asked.

At first, Henry wasn't entirely sure what the little green Master was asking. Was he asking if Henry believed Qui-Gon's theory? Was he asking the boy's opinion or was he asking something more? "I believe..." Henry began, gathering his thoughts, "I believe that Master Qui-Gon may be right, that Anakin is this Chosen One. Do I think that maybe Master Qui-Gon's beliefs are misguided and that he has a bit of tunnel vision with regard to Anakin? Yes, perhaps, but I do believe he has a point."

The questions continued on for another two hours. Henry told them pretty much everything except for one very important fact: that he knew what was going to happen simply because he had already seen it. So far everything that had happened, had gone exactly as it had in the film _The Phantom Menace_ , which really made Henry think that everything else would happen that way too. Was it his responsibility to warn them about Anakin? After all, the blood of countless Jedi would be on Anakin and the Emperor's hands. But, just because he knew what would happen, did that give Henry the right to try and prevent it?

After the question and answer phase, Master Windu brought out a little device and explained how it would work. The Master would see images on the screen and it would be up to Henry to identify what the images were without being able to see the screen. When that portion of the test began, Henry reached out with the Force and almost immediately, an image filled his mind.

"A planet," he began, seeing Master Windu fixing him with an unreadable expression as the dark skinned Jedi held onto the device. "A book. A droid, A cup, A speeder..." the young lad named off the images that flew through his mind at almost warp speed. Each image was seen in crystal clear clarity, as if all he had to do was reach out and take it for it to become real.

At the end, Mace lowered the device, looked to Yoda and wordlessly nodded his head. The green troll like Master then looked to Henry.

"Hmm, how feel you?" Yoda asked.

Henry knew that if he answered 'cold' he would more than likely be asked if he was afraid, as that was exactly how Anakin's test had gone. He wasn't Anakin! "Alone..." he finally replied.

"Afraid are you?" Yoda asked.

Henry didn't reply at first; taking the time to gather his thoughts and wet his dry lips. "I was, sirs," he said, "I was afraid; terrified even, of the possibility that I'd never see my mother again. With that possibility becoming more and more likely, I'm...I'm okay with it. I'm not afraid anymore."


	11. Chapter Ten - Retaking Naboo

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Ten: Retaking Naboo_

The shiny spacecraft took off from the landing platform and angled towards the sky. Inside, the Queen and her entourage were heading back to the planet of Naboo, since the Senate meeting didn't go at all like she had hoped. However, they did perhaps have one saving grace. Jar Jar Binks had mentioned something about the Gungans having a grand army. If the Gungan's remained alive, then perhaps past differences could be put aside for the common good of retaking the planet. Along with the Queen, her handmaidens and Captain Panaka, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi were ordered to accompany her back to Naboo in order to draw out Qui-Gon's Sith attacker. With them, the two boys Anakin and Henry went.

The council's final verdict on the matter was what Henry had expected all along. It was clear the council wasn't fond of Anakin; citing that he was too old, even though Henry knew that the reason they didn't want to train his brother was they sensed the fear and turmoil in him. With Henry, the verdict hadn't been as easy. While they had wanted him, they all had sensed that he was holding something back, and with him unwilling to tell what that something was, they all decided to deny him as well; citing that he too was too old.

Henry sat in the cabin that was supposed to belong to the Jedi. He wasn't too concerned for Anakin. The boy would prove himself to the Council; he would be trained as a Jedi before too long. Henry on the other hand? He wasn't sure how he could prove himself to the Council. Anakin would destroy the Federation's Droid Control ship that would be orbiting the planet of Naboo and he would do it with the assistance of the Force. Henry? Well...what could he do that would be of such significance that the Council might change their mind?

It was something he pondered throughout the rest of the flight to Naboo, and the subsequent tracking down of the Gungans who were hiding in their Sacred Place. The Naboo and the Gungans made peace and seeing Boss Nass slobber; it almost made Henry throw up. Boss Nass was never his favorite and the scenes where he was releasing his bodily fluid from his mouth always disgusted the lad.

The day wore on as Queen Amidala finally laid out her plan to retake the city of Theed. They would attack the palace and attempt to take the Viceroy. Meanwhile, the Gungans would be the diversion and would attack the main Droid troops far from the city, and to aid the Gungans, Naboo pilots would fly into space and attempt to knock out the Droid Control ship. If all went as planned then the droids would be neutralized and the Viceroy would be in custody, which would successfully end the occupation.

At roughly what Henry believed to be 4pm, it all began. The Jedi, the Queen, some troops and Captain Panaka stealthily made their way into the city of Theed. Henry and Anakin went with them because there was no other place for them to stay. At least with the Jedi nearby, they would remain safe. That was the theory anyway.

A hidden signal was given and thus the diversion began. An explosion rocked the open square as a droid transport was destroyed. This gave the Queen, her select troops, the Jedi and the two boys enough time to sneak into the main hanger bay where the single pilot vessels were. All they needed to do was clear it out so the pilots could take off. Easy, right?

Qui-Gon had instructed Ani and Henry to stay down and find cover. A simple task one would think, but with the blaster bolts sizzling everywhere, it was hard to find any place that was completely safe. Spying an open cockpit, Henry quickly sprung up the stairs and slipped in. He was small enough that the cockpit pretty much engulfed him; much as it did Anakin who took refuge in another transport vessel.

Eventually the droids were all taken care of and the pilots were allowed to launch their craft and head towards the Droid Control Ship. Henry heard Anakin stand up and cry out, "Hey! What about me?" Curious, he sat up and saw Qui-Gon point to Anakin and instruct him to stay in that cockpit. Obviously, he wasn't going to take any sass from the boy and another look in the blonde lad's direction was enough to make him settle back down in the cockpit. Just then everyone stopped when the double doors opened to admit a menace dressed all in black.

"Darth Maul..." Henry breathed out ever so softly, eying the dark menace. He didn't hear Qui-Gon say that they'd handle it. However he did see the two Jedi remove their cloaks and ignite their lightsabers, just as the Sith did. As they engaged the Sith, more droids and destroyers showed up. Anakin managed to get his ship moving and used the gun to take out the destroyers and most of the droids so Padme and her group could continue. After a few moments, Anakin's transport; which was on automatic pilot, left the hanger bay and headed for space, while the Queen and her guards made their way out of the hanger bay; Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the Sith having already left.

Henry sat alone in his transport, biting his bottom lip. He knew what was going to happen to Qui-Gon. Maul was going to run him through and the Master would die. It was the saddest moment in the story but it was something that had to happen...or did it? As he sat there, there was a tugging in his mind. A little voice that told him to get up and follow after the Jedi. It was almost quite foolish. What could an unarmed twelve year old do against a Sith? Henry wanted to stay but as the minutes ticked away, the compulsion to get up finally overpowered him. Rising, he climbed out of the transport and ran down the hallway he had seen the Jedi and Sith go down. Running as fast as he could, he saw many open doors but only one looked damaged, so this was the path he chose.

Remembering the huge power generator with all its long shafts, catwalks and those energy beams, Henry knew his path to the Jedi wouldn't be straight and simple. Instead of panicking, Henry closed his eyes for a moment, centered himself and then let the Force guide him. He started to move again, through several rooms that had several doors which would take him who knows where, and into another one that led in to the huge reactor chamber itself. Looking around the chamber, the first thing that came to Henry's mind was just how enormous the place was. The movie did not do it justice in any way, shape, or form. Lights, power conduits and walkways were everywhere at differing heights. From wall to wall it looked to be at least half a mile in length; of course, maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Now, the only question that remained was: How the hell was he going to reach the Jedi in time? They were so far ahead and down at least several levels! While Henry couldn't see them, he just thought he could hear the clashing of their weapons over the hum of the generators. Spying a simple silver ladder attached to the side of one of the generators, Henry followed it with his eyes. It seemed to go down at least five levels. Maybe it was long enough!

Climbing down the ladder, Henry bit at his bottom lip. Just what the hell was he doing, honestly?! How was he supposed to stop a Sith with no weapon? Hearing some noise, Henry paused and looked down.

It was Qui-Gon and the Sith, battling like there was no tomorrow! Granted, yes it was difficult to recognize them given that the boy was still far enough above them, but the color of the lightsabers could not be mistaken. Quickening his pace, Henry climbed down as fast as his arms and legs could take him. He still wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do, but whatever it was, by God he was going to do it!

Upon reaching the bottom, he looked to the left and saw nothing much of interest except for the massive energy conduits that ran the power generator. Looking to the right, his heart nearly jumped into his mouth as he saw that Qui-Gon and the Sith had already reached the laser barrier. Obi-Wan was already ahead of him as well which meant that he would have to book it if he had any hope of catching up. Henry didn't know what exactly he was going to do once he caught up to them but he couldn't ignore the feeling he had. It was like a magnet was dragging him along towards the Jedi. Starting to run in their general direction, Henry kept his gaze focused. He saw Qui-Gon and the Sith make it through the first few barriers before they were triggered. Obi-Wan hadn't even made it through one. While it was difficult to see, Henry imagined Qui-Gon kneeling down in meditation; his face covered with a fine sheen of sweat while the Sith was probably devising his evil plan on how to dispatch of the Jedi.

Finally the beams cut off and the fight continued. Qui-Gon and Maul battled through the rest of the barriers with Obi-Wan hot on their heels. Reaching the barriers, Henry gritted his teeth, his eyes on Obi-Wan. Running in, it wasn't six seconds later that Henry felt it: the warning through the Force. Giving a small cry he threw himself forward just making it past the second to last barrier to land next to Obi-Wan who was trapped in front of the final barrier.

"Henry!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, a look of surprise and horror on his face, "What are you doing here?!"

Coughing a few times, Henry picked himself up off of the ground, looking to the Jedi padawan. "I had to come!" the boy exclaimed; sweat beading his own forehead. "I had this feeling!" Glancing through the last barrier, Henry swallowed hard, watching Qui-Gon and Maul continue to battle. That final blow was sure to happen at any minute. Feeling Obi-Wan tense up even more, a powerful wave through the Force hit Henry like a shockwave. "NNNOOOO!" he yelled out, voice reverberating off of the walls.

In all honesty, the young lad had no idea what happened. One minute he was watching the battle, preparing for the strike which would end the Jedi Knight's life and in the next, Darth Maul had spun, intending to strike, but the double bladed saber just stayed where it was in the air for a brief moment before it seemed to hurtle itself towards Henry who had his right hand extended towards the barrier but not touching the powerful beam. The lightsaber hit the ground, blades shutting off while the handle itself skittered to a halt just in front of the red energy beams that separated the boy and Padawan from the Master and Sith.

In shock, three pairs of eyes looked directly at him and it seemed like time stood still, but, just like that the surprise was over. The Sith had jumped back and once again summoned the deadly saber back into his grip and the fight continued. Suddenly there was yet another warning through the Force and just as the last barrier disconnected, Qui-Gon was struck by Maul's saber. This time, no one had time to yell or do anything as Obi-Wan jumped in and began to battle the Sith, his blue blade moving this way and that as he not only blocked, but attacked the Sith as well.

Forcing his fear down in to the depths of his mind, Henry took one look at the combatants before he ran over to the fallen Jedi Master.

"O...Obi-Wan...?" the dying Master grunted out.

"N...no sir, it's me...Henry!" the boy replied, voice trembling with sorrow. He looked over Qui-Gon's body, seeing the entry point of the Sith's lightsaber. While Henry hadn't gotten too terribly close to the Jedi; not like his brother Anakin, he had seen Qui-Gon's death multiple times in the film and as such, witnessing it now brought tears to the lad's eyes. No! He couldn't witness it again! Fighting back tears, Henry put both hands on Qui-Gon's chest, right where his injury was. He knew that for most injuries, one needed to apply pressure to it, but with a lightsaber injury, he didn't know if pressure was needed or not. Well, better safe than sorry, right? "I'm not going to let you die...!" he declared, bottom lip trembling.

"All...all things must come to an end..." Qui-Gon grunted.

Maybe the Jedi was correct, but was this one of those times? Closing brown eyes, Henry concentrated; not on a single physical thing but on the Force itself. He imagined Qui-Gon's injuries in his mind, and he pictured them stabilizing; organs continuing to function, the blood continuing to flow, the pain even easing a little. A clinking sound off in the distance was enough for Henry to open his eyes. He first looked down at Qui-Gon, who was staring up at him with an unreadable expression. However, he didn't look like he was in pain and the Jedi's life force that Henry had felt flooding away was growing stronger. Letting out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding, Henry was in complete shock, not understanding how he had done it at all. In his eyes, all he had done was wish that the Jedi could live and not die. So, how was this possible?!

Feeling a sharp pain in his head, Henry grimaced but he didn't say anything or remove his hands from the Jedi.

"Henry," Qui-Gon weakly whispered, "You must stop this. Y-you aren't strong enough to contain it for long..."

Henry however shook his head. "I _will not_ let you die...!" he reiterated through gritted teeth even while the pain in his head continued to get worse. Movement off to the side caught his attention. Fixing his eyes on Qui-Gon's lightsaber, he watched it jump from the ground and sail towards the pit, just as Obi-Wan had jumped up as well. The lightsaber ignited and landed in the padawan's hand and just like that the Sith was sliced in half; both halves of the dark warrior falling down into the pit.

Footsteps approached and just as smoothly, Obi-Wan was there, lifting his Master's head up off the ground to cradle it in his lap. "Master...!" he cried out ever so softly.

"Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon called, his own voice soft but not as weak, "Tell Henry to stop and let me go. He is using his strength in the Force to keep me alive but he is quickly losing strength...and...you must promise me that you will train Anakin..."

While the master was speaking, Henry was gritting his teeth in pain. No! Qui-Gon couldn't say his goodbyes! Not yet! "With all due respect!" Henry declared, raising his voice, "Be quiet!" He knew his strength wouldn't last, but he just knew that he had enough strength for this! "Obi-Wan! I can do this but we have to find a doctor or a med bay...or someone! Please!"

He watched the young Jedi hesitate for a few brief moments before a decision was made. Even though the Jedi was tired, Obi-Wan stood up and picked up his Master's shoulders, while Henry stood up and gripped Qui-Gon's legs. Together, the two of them headed for the exit from the power generator.

…

The pain in his head and the sheer exhaustion in his whole entire body was nearing the breaking point when they entered the Queen's personal medical bay. When they had gone to the palace they had met the Queen's double; still all dolled up in the white makeup, and a few of her bodyguards. It took only one glance at the injured Jedi before they were personally escorted to the medical bay where a 21-B surgical droid was always on standby.

Immediately upon entry, the droid got to work, taking Qui-Gon from Obi-Wan and Henry. In all honesty however, Henry didn't notice much of that or of anything else really. His head felt like someone was bashing it in with a baseball bat and his entire body felt like jello. Moaning a little, Henry closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head. He couldn't understand why it still hurt like hell. Qui-Gon was still alive, he was with the surgical droid right now so...

"Henry? Are you alright?"

Henry barely recognized Obi-Wan's voice and he barely noticed the slight pressure on his arm; perhaps the padawan touching him? "I think..." Henry moaned, "I think I'm gonna..." His lips parted and seconds later he lost the contents of his stomach; which was mostly bile at that time. Dropping to his knees, the boy went completely limp and hit the deck; out like a light.


	12. Chapter Eleven - Neal's Return

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Eleven: Neal's Return_

Rumpelstiltskin's castle; it certainly didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination on the outside. On the inside however, it had certainly seen better times. There were dust and cobwebs everywhere, and obviously it had been plundered. A few artifacts remained such as books, tables, chairs, paintings and other such large and heavy things.

"My men and I have long been over this entire castle. We have never found anything like the portal you have described."

Neal glanced at the man in green; Robin Hood. Upon entering the castle, Neal, Mulan and Aurora had discovered that Robin and his Band of Merry Men had taken over the place. It did take a little persuasion to get the point out that he wasn't interested in anything that was in the castle _but_ the magic that could open up a portal back to Storybrooke. However, in the end, Robin had agreed to help him search.

"Ah, my father wouldn't have kept it out in the open," Neal replied. "He would have kept it hidden." In all honesty, Neal didn't know what he was looking for. He knew about Magic Beans and Jefferson's Hat, but surely there were other things that could contain the magic he needed.

Seeing something on the ground, he bent down and picked it up, looking at it closely. It was his father's cane; the scratches and cuts on the bottom half of it were enough to tell him that.

"What's magical of an old knotted cane?" Mulan asked, eying the long stick of wood in Neal's hand, "It probably belonged to one of the looters."

"No," Neal replied, "It belonged to him. See these markings? He was keeping track of my growth."

Neal twirled the cane over his head, mainly to work some growing kinks out of his arm more than anything else. Just as the cane hit the air, a cabinet door opened, high in the wall.

"My father enchanted certain objects," Neal explained, seeing the expression of shock and surprise on Robin Hood's face, "What might be a useless piece of wood in the hands of a looter, would become magical in his."

"Or in the hands of his only son," Mulan put in. It did make sense since he was the blood relative of the Dark One.

Wordlessly nodding, Neal walked to the cabinet and used it's bottom shelf to hoist himself up. Tucked in the back was a crystal ball. He almost wanted to chuckle at the irony but thought better of it as he grabbed on to the ball and climbed back down to the ground.

While it wouldn't help him get back to Emma, it would at least let him know where she was.

Neal still wasn't a fan of magic, but if this globe would at least tell him that Emma was safe, then it would help him to concentrate on getting back to Storybrooke.

Purple clouds filled the globe at first before slowly parting to reveal Emma. She was with Regina, Charming and Snow. Hook was there as well; something that ticked Neal off to no end. The pirate had meant a lot to him at one point but ever since that moment in time in Neverland, Neal could never trust the one handed pirate again.

A look of relief filled Neal's face as he saw that his love was completely fine. "She's okay!" he exclaimed, "She-she's fine and still in Storybrooke..."

He continued to watch her talk to her parents and Regina. While the globe obviously didn't offer any sort of audio, it didn't take Neal long to realize that Emma was worried and upset. Why would she be scared? What was wrong? Obviously Storybrooke had survived, so it couldn't be that. Scanning the scene in front of him, Neal came to realize that someone was missing. He saw Emma, Regina, Snow and Charming, but...

"Where's Henry?" He mumbled. It was possible that the boy was out of the room, but a feeling in his gut told him that that wasn't the case.

Just as before, purple smoke filled the globe, covering Emma and the others until there was nothing but the smoke. It took much longer; roughly thirty seconds, before the smoke started to clear. What the globe revealed however had Neal quite confused. He saw a boy of maybe fifteen or sixteen in flowing brown robes that looked like the best Jedi Knight costume he had ever seen. Once the boy walked close to a light, his face was revealed and once he saw it, Neal's eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"How...?" he mumbled, unable to fully voice the question. The boy was so obviously Henry but older; _years_ older. How _that_ was possible was way beyond Neal's comprehension, never mind the fact that he was obviously doing a _Star Wars_ cosplay as a Jedi Knight.

Putting the globe down, Neal rubbed at his face. This was really starting to get very weird. What the hell had happened in Storybrooke since he fell through the portal?

"I gotta get back there..." he said. Of course he knew that that was going to be easier said than done, especially without a bean. Surely there must be some other way to get back there.

Mulan and Robin Hood knew that Neal was in shock and not thinking too rationally. There was no magic in the Dark One's Castle powerful enough to send Neal back and if there ever had been, it had long since been taken.

That's when an image popped in to Robin Hood's mind. He had been scrolling through one of the Dark One's books a month or two ago; it seemed like a ledger of sorts, and he remembered seeing something about a magical lamp...

"I may have an idea for you," he said to Neal. It really was just an idea, besides, he had no clue if the lamp was still in the Castle, or if it was long gone. It had been many years since the Dark One lived in the castle, so really anything could have happened to the lamp in that span of time.

Walking to one of the many piles of books, Robin Hood bent down and studied a few of them, selecting one of the more worn books near the bottom of the pile to his right. Opening it up, he flipped through several pages, scanning several paragraphs before he seemingly found what he was looking for.

"Here..." He mumbled, carrying the book over to Neal and handing it to him. "I believe it to be a journal of some of the items your father collected."

Neal scanned the page he was shown. Among things like swords and daggers and secret maps, he saw an entry for a fairy wand and...he paused for a second, re reading one entry over and over again. A magic lamp! The story of Aladdin immediately flashed in to his mind, as did a picture of the animated lamp. If the lamp mentioned was that particular one, then there may still be a genie in it and if so, there might be wishes!

"However, as I mentioned before, my men and I have searched this castle. Most everything of value has already been taken," Robin pointed out.

Neal nodded his head in understanding. He understood what Robin was trying to say. There was no guarantee that the lamp was still there. Looters could have taken it long ago, or his father could have been smart and hidden it somewhere, much like he had done with the crystal ball. The only way to know for sure was to search everywhere for a hidden passage or a fake wall or something. Since he was related by blood, it would make sense that only _he_ would be able to find it if it was indeed hidden somewhere inside the castle.

"Then I hope you won't mind if I take a look around?" Neal asked, eying Robin.

Robin Hood shook his head and extended his arms, indicating the castle as a whole. "It is your father's castle," he pointed out, "Look around at your leisure!"

…

The castle was very extensive. Room after room after room was searched and still nothing was found. Some things Neal recognized for what they were: beds, books, a few ratty cloaks that he knew belonged to his father. One of the rooms even had a spinning wheel; of course the spinning wheel was in several pieces but still, he had been able to recognize it.

After several hours, Neal was about to give up. He was tired, hungry and more than anything he wanted to catch a few hours of shut eye. However, he still couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that he just _had_ to get back to Storybrooke, and fast.

Images of Henry in full Jedi attire, looking years older than he should kept playing in his mind. What had happened? Had Henry gone through some sort of curse that had turned him in to a super geeky nerd? That really was all Neal could think about. Something was very wrong with his son, and for him to be stuck in another realm; it was almost enough to drive him mad!

Entering yet another room, Neal was quick to realize that it was his father's own bedroom. The sheer amount of stuff strewn around, plus the oversized bed was enough to tell him that.

It took only three simple steps in to the room before the wall on the far right side of the room started to glow and shimmer, like it had suddenly turned to water or something of that sort. Slowly the shimming stopped, allowing Neal to see some pieces inside of what looked like a little alcove. He saw several books, a small strand of gold thread, a small red pillow with the outline of a dagger on it; the dagger nowhere to be found, and right beside the pillow was a simple looking golden lamp.

Neal Cassidy stood there blinking, just staring at the lamp. No, really? It was right _there?_ Come on, that was way too easy! Then again though, he was related by blood to the Dark One. Maybe, just maybe that was why he found the lamp as quickly and somewhat easily as he had.

Not even daring to hope, he reached in and picked up the lamp. He decided not to waste anymore time, so Neal almost immediately rubbed the side of it. At first, when nothing happened, Neal thought that the genie was no longer in the lamp, but after a few seconds, a purple smoke came pouring from the lamp, along with a deep, masculine voice.

"aaaAAAAAGGGHHHH!" The voice shouted; starting out softly and then building to a crescendo as a young man appeared from the dissipating smoke. The man had brown hair, blue eyes, fair looking skin and he was extremely muscular too. Standing at a fair five feet ten inches tall, the genie lifted his arms over his head, fingers clasped together as he stretched.

"FINALLY!" he declared, "After thirty two years you have _finally_ summoned me to use your last...wait..." The genie paused to look Neal over rather closely. "Hmm, something's wrong here,"

A magnifying glass suddenly appeared in the genie's hands as the magical being made his way over to Neal and began to use the glass to study him up close and personal. It didn't take Neal Cassidy long to get rather peeved and uncomfortable with the examination though. Shivering, he threw up his hands and took a step and a half back.

"Whoa dude," he began, "There is this thing called personal space..."

The genie however looked unimpressed. "You are close, but you aren't the Dark One. Where is Rumpelstiltskin?"

Neal was silent for a second, giving the genie a tiny bit of time to calm himself down. "He's not here," he finally said. "I'm his son..."

Upon hearing that, the genie looked completely surprised. " _You're_ Baelfire?" he asked, lifting the magnifying glass up once more.

Neal however was going to have none of that. "Enough with the magnifying glass!" He declared.

The genie looked down at the seemingly innocuous object in his hand. Finally, he shrugged and the offending object disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"So! How can I help you? You do know how this works right? You have three wishes and three wishes only, but first! A little disclaimer!" The genie stood up straight while a huge looking blackboard appeared out of thin air right beside him. A long ruler then appeared in the genie's hands as well, while words suddenly began to appear on the blackboard.

"Ah rule number one!" The genie roughly smacked the circled number one on the blackboard, "I absolutely can't kill anybody...yeah, so don't ask. Ah, rule number two!" The genie then smacked the next number down as it appeared on the blackboard, "I cannot make anyone fall in love with anyone else. I'm not cupid, you know sweet cheeks."

Neal almost immediately blushed at the atrocious nickname. Still, he held his tongue. As the genie was speaking and explaining the rules, he couldn't help but think of the animated Disney version of the story of Aladdin, and he couldn't help but hear the voice of Robin Williams in place of this genie's voice.

"Ah rule number three!" The rough smacking of the blackboard caused Neal to jump as he was brought back to the present, "I can't bring anyone back from the dead. It is... _very_ disgusting and it's definitely not a pretty picture. I DON'T LIKE DOING IT, OKAY?!" The genie jumped forward and grabbed Neal by the collar, shaking him a little. "OKAY?!" the Genie yelled again.

Neal's eyes went wide, obviously not expecting the genie to get so physically violent. Raising his hands to show the magical being that he wasn't a threat, he then said, "Okay, Okay...no bringing anyone back from the dead. I get it..."

Once the genie released him, Neal turned his head to the side and mouthed, "Wow..." to the wall.

"And finally...!" the genie began once more, smacking the blackboard as a fourth rule appeared. "Rule number four! I can't cross realms or send anyone across realms. That was what the Dark One wanted from me in the first place. He wanted me to open up a portal for him to go to some land without magic. Last time I tried to send someone to a different realm, well..." twelve eggs suddenly appeared in front of Neal; gravity taking affect almost immediately. The eggs plummeted to the ground, smashing in to little gooey pieces.

"Not a pretty picture!" The genie declared. "Other than that...your wish is my command!"

Neal was silent, thinking. So, the genie couldn't open up a portal. That was plan A out the window! However, what about making a bean to do the same thing? "So...no portals," Neal began, "What about...magic beans?"

The genie lifted an eyebrow at Neal's request. "Beans?" the genie asked, "Beans are easy! What kind do you want? Lima beans, Pinto beans, Coffee beans, Cocoa Beans, Black beans...? I can make you King of the Beans!"

Neal Cassidy wanted to facepalm. This genie...now he understood why his father had hidden him behind a magical wall. Only ten minutes in to this conversation and already he wanted to strangle the genie!

"No...! No! Magic Beans! Beans that the Giants grew," Neal tried to explain.

"Oh, those suckers," The genie replied. "The little sparkly jelly beans! Sure I can get those for ya only if you say those magic words...!"

Wanting to be over and done with this genie, Neal said, "Genie, I wish for three magic beans! And I also wish for you to have my last two wishes."

"Alrighty! Here we..." the genie paused, eyes widening at Neal who only smiled at him and nodded his head.

Three magic beans suddenly appeared in the genie's hands. Smoothly, he handed the beans over to Neal who stuck them all in his pocket.

"I...I don't know what to say...!" The genie began, wanting to thank Neal for his gift.

Neal however only lifted a hand. "Just promise me one thing," he said, "Tone it down on the dramatization. You are going to frighten the kids..." Picking up the lamp, Neal gave it to the genie who smiled at him and took it.

Turning, Neal left the room at a brisk pace. He had what he wanted. Now, to get back to Storybrooke and find out what the hell was going on! He just hoped that he would be on time to fix whatever the hell had happened.


	13. Chapter Twelve - You Will Be a Jedi

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Twelve: "You Will Be a Jedi."_

It was like he was floating or swimming on a warm sea. He was so relaxed and content that the young lad almost didn't want this, whatever it was, to end.

" _Created for a place I've never known,"_ a song seemed to come to him on the wind. At first he didn't understand what it was saying, but then he heard, _"This is Home, Now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong. Yeah this is home. I've been searching for a place of my own, now I've found it, maybe this is home! Yeah, this is home!"_

Soon, Henry became aware that it was getting lighter and lighter all around him and then he heard something else, _"Henry...Brother, can you hear me?"_

Groaning a little, Henry slowly opened tired eyes. Once his eyes adjusted, he found himself lying on a bed in a sparsely furnished room. There really wasn't much besides the bed he was on, two chairs, an overhead light and what looked to be a painting of the Royal Palace on the wall.

"Anakin?" Henry whispered, seeing the blonde haired lad standing beside the bed. Henry searched his memory for an answer as to why he was there. "Wh-what happened?"

"What happened, my young friend, is that you did a very foolish thing..."

Brown eyes flicked to the open door to see a tall Jedi Knight who was supposed to be dead, standing there, a warm smile on his face. Qui-Gon Jinn! All of a sudden, memories flooded back in to Henry's mind. The duel between the Jedi and the Sith, Qui-Gon getting run through and then...

"But how...?" Henry began.

Before Qui-Gon could reply, another voice spoke up and said, "Allow us to speak with him, you will."

Henry watched Qui-Gon turn and politely bow to the little Jedi Master, before he motioned Anakin from the room too.

Smiling kindly at his brother, Anakin then turned and left the room, leaving Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Ki-Adi-Mundu and a few other Masters in to the small room.

Unconsciously, Henry tried to sink further in to the bed as he eyed the Jedi Masters with a bit of uncertainty. He had just woken up for crying out loud! He had questions and he needed answers, but apparently the Masters needed the same thing.

When the conversation began, it really was only Master Yoda or Master Windu who asked the questions. At first, Yoda wanted to know his version of events, so Henry took up the story from the time they arrived, to the point where he was standing right next to Obi-Wan behind the barrier, watching Qui-Gon battle the Sith.

"It is difficult to explain, Masters," Henry said, licking dry lips, "I never felt like that before. The best way I can describe it was I had this feeling. This little voice telling me to go after them. I tried ignoring it at first. Master Qui-Gon did tell me to wait in the cockpit, after all. But...it was like the voice kept nagging at me, so I finally relented and found my way to them. Standing there with Obi-Wan, watching Qui-Gon fight, it felt like..." he shrugged, "like all the breath left my body. I had this quick flash of a blade sticking out of Master Qui-Gon's chest and then all at once the red laser sword flew out of the Sith's hands and towards me. I remember wanting to do anything to try and stop what I saw from happening and then it was like what I was feeling inside turned in to an action, and then the laser sword came at me."

"And then?" Master Mundu asked.

"And then the Sith got his laser sword back and the fight continued. Master Qui-Gon did get run through. When the barrier finally let up, Obi-Wan jumped in to the fight immediately. I just stood there looking at Qui-Gon for a minute, before I ran over to him. I knelt down and put my hands on the wound. I remember that I kept thinking I wasn't going to let him die. I heard Master Qui-Gon telling me to let him go but I just couldn't. I looked down at his wound and it was like I could see beyond it. I don't know how but I could see all of his internal injuries. I just kept picturing all of his organs functioning normally and...they did. After a little while my heard started to hurt, but I knew that if I stopped, then Master Qui-Gon would die. Obi-Wan beat the Sith; I do remember that. I-I convinced him that Qui-Gon could be saved so he and I carried Qui-Gon to a clinic and..." Henry searched his memories, "after that all I remember is pain."

Finishing his story, Henry finally looked back at the Masters who were all staring at him with knowing expressions.

A few more questions were asked, before the Jedi Masters rose up; Master Ki-Adi Mundu and Mace putting a hand on his shoulder, before they all walked out of the room.

…

A day passed before Henry was released from the clinic. He had been able to get plenty of rest and was itching to be released when Obi-Wan Kenobi came and released him. Almost immediately Henry did notice that something was different about the Jedi. That's when it hit him: Obi-Wan no longer had his padawan's braid! Henry wanted to ask about it, but he decided to hold his tongue.

All around Theed, the people of Naboo were preparing the streets for the celebration which would take place in the next few hours. It was a celebration of peace; the Gungans and Naboo were declaring a peace which would last for the foreseeable future.

Walking along with Obi-Wan, they gently strode past a few vendors, making a bee line towards the palace. "I must offer you a word of thanks." Obi-Wan's soft voice filled the air.

Looking up towards the Jedi, Henry waited for him to continue.

"If you had not stepped in, Qui-Gon would have died. He was like a father to me, losing him..."

Believing that it was hard for Obi-Wan to say thanks, Henry shrugged his shoulders.

"It's okay," he said, "I didn't even know I could do...whatever it was that I did. I just had this feeling...and I listened to it."

Obi-Wan smiled a little, stopping just before the first step which led up to the palace. Turning to face Henry, he said, "What you did takes a lot of strength and study in the Force. I have never seen anyone able to do it on instinct. You were using your own Force Energy to heal My Master. Your intense headaches came from the simple fact that you couldn't withstand the amount of energy required to keep someone alive. Eventually, your body just gave out and you collapsed."

To Henry, it sounded like a clear cut case of exhaustion. It did make sense to him in a way. But, at least Qui-Gon had survived!

"What...what happened while I was out?" Henry asked, a little unsure if Obi-Wan would tell him. He eyed the Jedi, taking in the look on his face.

Obi-Wan had leaned back on his heels for a second, seemingly thinking about the question. The Jedi adjusted his robes, keeping his hands hidden within its deep folds.

"The Council has confirmed my status as a Jedi Knight," he began, "Master Qui-Gon has thus taken Anakin as his Padawan. Once the festivities have ended, we will board the transport back to Coruscant."

So, Anakin had become a Padawan after all, but not to Obi-Wan! A part of Henry wondered if that could make the difference or not. Qui-Gon had more experience so perhaps his wisdom and teachings would be enough to keep Anakin from turning dark! Were all his worries over with?

Sighing a little, Henry then bit at his bottom lip for a moment before he asked, "What will happen to me, then?" He purposely mirrored most of what his brother would have asked Obi-Wan in the films.

Henry didn't know what he expected Obi-Wan to say. Part of him hoped that the Jedi would take him too, but more than likely they wouldn't. Besides, Anakin was the Chosen One, not him.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, pulling Henry from his self absorbed musings.

"Henry," Obi-Wan began, "The Council have granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi, I promise."

Henry's lips slightly parted as he stared at Obi-Wan in shock for several moments. The Council had accepted him?! He was to be trained as a Jedi! In all of his wildest dreams, young Henry Mills could never have imagined this. Slowly a huge, cheeky grin splashed across his face as he closed the gap and wrapped his arms around his Master. At first there seemed to be a bit of shock, but after a few moments, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around him and returned the hug.

Master and Apprentice stood like that for a minute before they released one another. Turning, Obi-Wan led Henry up the steps and in to the palace.

He didn't see Anakin nor Qui-Gon at first but the reason for that was quickly explained when Obi-Wan led him in to a room that reminded Henry of a tailor shop that he saw in movies. Only, this 'tailor shop' didn't sell suits, instead, Henry saw a few Jedi articles of clothing: robes, outer tunics, inner tunics, belts, obi and tabards, pants and boots. Anakin was already there, smoothing down what looked to be a brand new padawan outfit.

Henry wanted to go to his brother but Obi-Wan instructed that he needed to have the proper attire first. It took well over an hour, but in the end, Henry chose a working outfit: greyish pants, brown boots that closely matched Anakin's, a crème colored inner tunic with a tan colored outer tunic and obi. A brown belt completed the ensemble. After he got dressed in the comfortable Jedi clothing, Obi-Wan took Henry for a quick hair cut. His hair was cut semi short on the top and sides save for a strip on his right side that was literally braided. Since his hair hadn't been all that long to begin with, the braid wasn't big or too terribly thick, but at least it would grow.

Once it was all said and done, Henry joined his Master, and together they all headed outside. The celebration was starting. Henry took his place to the right of his Master, keeping his hands clasped together in front of him. Sharing a grin at his brother, Henry then turned his attention to Boss Nass as the big Gungan climbed the stairs, gently took the glowing ball from Queen Amidala and hoisted it in the air, declaring peace!

Heaving a small sigh, Henry continued to smile ever so softly. A new chapter in his life had literally just begun. He had never felt more excited in his life and just then, for the briefest of moments, Henry felt like he was where he belonged. He felt that he was home.


	14. Chapter Thirteen - Wish and Memory

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Thirteen: Wish and Memory_

Sixteen year old Henry Mills blocked yet another thrust his way by his best friend and brother, Anakin Skywalker. It was hard to believe that only five years had passed. Henry now stood at a solid five feet six inches tall, with Anakin only two inches shorter than he was! The brunette's build was slim yet somewhat muscular. He wasn't interested in really trying to buff up because his ally was the Force, and through the Force, he didn't need tremendous upper body strength like that of a bodybuilder.

"Aw come on!" Anakin playfully jeered, "You aren't going to let me land just one hit?"

Henry chuckled in response as he twirled his saber in his right hand to get a better grip on it.

"One hit?" Henry asked, turning to his right yet always keeping his opponent in front of him, "You gave me a beat down last week! Once a month is enough."

Anakin was really his favorite sparring partner because with the blonde it wasn't about beating or overpowering the opponent, it was about having fun and bettering ones' skill.

Making a feint, Henry jumped to the right and extended his left hand, using the Force and directing its energy towards his brother. He watched Anakin grin and shake his head.

"Sorry Henry, but your trademark move isn't going to be easy for you this time!" The young blonde Jedi padawan remarked.

Henry's trademark move when he was battling an opponent was using the Force when they least expected it to literally rip their lightsaber from their grasp, like he did with that Sith on Naboo. It was rather handy in a fight with someone he didn't know because it quickened the end of such a fight, especially when Henry's mission was to disarm them.

"You saw that huh?" Henry asked, feigning annoyance.

"Come on bro, you've been trying that move since I was eleven." Anakin shot back.

It was true, Henry did almost always try that trick with his brother. He started doing it when he felt he had better control over his powers and he hadn't let up yet!

"What?" Henry asked, "It's my favorite move!" Circling around Anakin, he didn't even give a three count before he jumped forward and sliced towards Anakin's front. The blonde brought his bright blue lightsaber up and blocked the thrust. Blue blade met blue blade with a sizzling clash. Since they both had their sabers on their lowest power setting as a matter of safety, the collision of the two blades didn't do much of anything save make noise and send a few sparks up in to the air.

Grinning, Henry took two steps back, hit a button and powered down his saber before he bowed to Anakin, who did the same. Clipping the saber to his belt, Henry glanced over to the side where his dark brown Jedi robe was, carefully folded up. Raising a hand, Henry used the Force to bring his robe over to him. Sliding in to it, he adjusted it over his frame and then heaved a sigh. Together, he and Anakin left the sparring room and entered in to the hall, heading for the apartments.

"Do you ever think about your mom anymore?" Anakin asked.

Their entire first year, Henry told Anakin story after story about Storybrooke, Maine, and his family. After that year ended, the stories died down until they stopped all together.

Henry didn't answer at first, keeping his gaze down low, finding the contours of the tile floor very interesting all of a sudden.

"I try not to," he finally replied as images of Emma and Regina and Neal flashed in to his mind for a brief second. After everything that had happened to him, it was almost as if Storybrooke had been the adventure; the dream and now it was over with. A lot of the time Henry found himself struggling to remember what his family even sounded like. Sometimes he couldn't remember and other times it was all so vivid that he would wake up with a few tears rolling down his face.

"Storybrooke is where I'm from," he continued, "but it's not my home anymore. My home is here; the Jedi Temple. Five years ago, if you had asked me where I would see myself in five years, I never would have guessed in my wildest dreams that I'd be here. Besides, I need to keep my thoughts and emotions focused; centered. Wildly hoping that somehow I'd find something that can send me back is..." Henry shook his head. "Besides, being here I...well let's face it bro, I don't even want to go back."

Within seven minutes the two boys arrived back at the apartments, going straight to the one that Anakin shared with his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon however wasn't there at the moment. He was elsewhere on Coruscant and wasn't even due back until later that evening. Someone _was_ there however, it was Chancellor Palpatine! Over the years, the Chancellor and the boys had grown rather close. Honestly, from where Henry stood, it was hard to believe that the Chancellor would one day become Emperor Palpatine and seek to destroy all of the Jedi and rule his Empire with an iron fist.

"Chancellor!" The two boys exclaimed as one, neither expecting to see the older man there. As one they both bowed in respect, only to be pulled up short when Palpatine himself lifted his hands in a 'please stop' gesture. Pausing mid bow, Anakin and Henry glanced at one another but then both stood up straight, looking at the man without speaking.

"This isn't a business call," Palpatine said with a smile, "I just wanted to see how my two favorite Jedi were."

It wasn't unusual for the boys to see Palpatine in one of their quarters, but normally it was work related; something to report to the Masters which would normally end in them being sent on a mission.

"I hear the both of you had trying times," the Chancellor said.

Anakin nodded his head first, followed shortly by Henry. They both had been on separate missions with their Masters and while neither knew specifics, during the mission both had felt the others' pain at one point or another. It wasn't until both had returned back at the Temple that all had been revealed.

Anakin had had to save Qui-Gon from a nest of Gundarks and other horrifying creatures and Henry had almost drowned. He and Obi-Wan had been on a swamp planet where it seemed their ability to use the Force was diminished. A chase had ensued which ended up at a lake. Both Jedi had entered the water and at first only Henry had surfaced. Once he realized his Master hadn't been with him he had gone back under to find Obi-Wan tangled up in a lot of vines. Somehow Henry had freed his Master but had gotten himself tangled up as well. In the end he had to be dragged unconscious out of the water and then spend two days in a med bay recovering!

"That's an understatement..." Henry muttered. Walking over to the couch, he gingerly sat down on the right most edge of it, while Anakin sat closer to Palpatine, who took possession of the nearby chair.

The Chancellor nodded his head, taking note of the tone in the boy's voice. "Facing one's mortality is not the easiest thing to do," he said.

"Yes sir, my apologies," Henry replied. It wasn't what the Chancellor had said, but it was the inflection in his voice plus the look on his face that told Henry that he wasn't entirely thrilled with his sentence.

"Patience will be your greatest tool. In time it will be a powerful asset. It will help you to see through lies and injustice, especially in these coming years," Palpatine said.

"In the coming years?" Anakin asked, confused, "What do you mean? What's coming?"

Henry felt that he knew what the Chancellor was trying to say without actually saying it. He was more than likely referring to the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi and Order 66.

"Let me just say that you should know who your friends are, Anakin. They are the only ones that you can count on." Chancellor Palpatine said.

Before anything more could be said, Henry's communicator chirped. Taking it from a side pocket, he pushed the button on the side and spoke in to it.

"Yes, my Master?" he asked.

" _Henry, the Council has asked for our presence,"_ the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi came through the speaker in the communicator.

"Yes, Master. I will be there soon," Henry replied. Smoothly he ended the communication and tucked the device back in to his pocket. "Well..." he said once he was done, "Duty calls!" Standing, he smoothed his robes down once more, forgoing bringing his hood up to hide his face. He was in the Temple for crying out loud and there was no reason to hide.

"Ani, Sir," Henry nodded to his brother and extended a bow of respect to the Chancellor, before he turned and left the apartments to meet up with his master.

…

Two weeks later found Henry Mills in a tight spot. The Council had sent Master Kenobi and his apprentice to a desert planet much like Tatooine, with only one large sun, to negotiate with a rather large group of slavers who had taken captive the family of a senator from Coruscant. Making contact with the slavers and talking terms had been the easy part. Things turned south when the slavers came up with the foolish idea of trying to take the Jedi hostage as well. Weapons were fired, people were hit and injured and some were even killed.

Henry let out a slow and deep breath as he analyzed his current situation. He was dressed in a peasants cloak with the crème colored hood drawn up to shield his head from prying eyes. He had been chased in to the small homeless village that was outside the capital city and now he was hiding in the alleyway between two buildings. His lightsaber was out but not ignited yet as he had flicked it off not ten seconds earlier. His master wasn't with him as the two Jedi had been separated when the weapons had suddenly started to go off. However, Henry knew that Obi-Wan was alright; he could feel it through the Force.

"You've got nowhere to run, _Jedi_! Come out now and we'll go easy on you!"

Henry peeked around the corner once more, easily spotting the one who had sent that recent jeer. The man in question was tall; over six feet tall. The man had long dirty blonde hair and a full, scruffy looking beard. Piercing blue eyes seemed to look every which way and the man's long fingers clutched a weapon that reminded Henry of a machine gun; only the weapon fired energy bolts instead of bullets.

The young Jedi wasn't afraid of the men finding him, he was more worried and concerned about the homeless who lived in the village. The slavers weren't exactly picky about who they shot and killed. No, really the best thing to do was lead them out and away from the village.

Taking a deep breath, Henry launched himself from his hiding place and began to run. From behind him he heard the slavers yell out after him and then there was the sound of footsteps from behind as well.

A warning through the Force was enough to get Henry to ignite his saber and block a bolt that had been meant for his head.

"You are only making things harder on yourself!" One of the slavers yelled out after him.

Running past the last hut, Henry spied the open desert. While he didn't really want to run there because there was no cover, he figured that if he could gain enough distance he could circle back around, slip back in to the capital and find his master. It was an idea; maybe not a good one, _but_ it was an idea.

"HENRY! NO!"

A loud voice filled the air for a moment before it seemed to be silenced. The voice had sounded like Obi-Wan's but Henry couldn't be sure. In any event, the voice had issued a warning, but why? An explosion off to his immediate left told Henry all that he needed to know. He had entered the protective minefield that had been placed all around the city. No one knew where all of the mines had been placed and there was only one true path through the field; a path that he was nowhere near.

Reaching out through the Force, Henry felt along for the mines. Whenever he felt that tingling, he veered in another direction. The Force would keep him safe, it would tell him...

Pain in his head caused the young Jedi to immediately stop and slump down to his knees. As he fell face first in to the warm sand, the only thing he could picture in his mind was his Master and how he had failed the older man.

…

" _Master Kenobi, he is waking up,"_

A metallic sounding voice was the first thing Henry heard when he came to. Opening green eyes, he groaned as everything began to slide in to focus. Henry found himself on a rather comfortable bed with a dim light overhead. Some sort of fluid was flowing from a container in to his left arm and his right arm was wrapped in a bandage.

Just laying there, the first thing that Henry realized was that his entire body hurt from head to foot. Noticing several pairs of expectant eyes on him, the young Jedi lifted his gaze. He saw two bearded men; one with long gray/brown hair, the other with a more sunkissed brown color. In front of the two older men, there was a younger lad with dirty blonde hair and a braid draped across one shoulder.

It seemed as if they were expecting him to say something, yet Henry didn't know what he should say!

"Um..." he began after several long moments of silence, "Not to seem rude or anything but...who the hell are you and why are you staring at me?"


	15. Chapter Fourteen - Wisdom and Desire

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Fourteen: Wisdom and Desire_

Twenty-One year old Henry Mills stood patiently waiting to see the Chancellor. He had just recently returned to Coruscant and had already received a summons to come to the Chancellor's office. On the way over he had heard what had happened to Senator Amidala's ship; how she had lost her friend and double. He also learned that Master Jinn and Anakin had been assigned to the Senator as protection. Henry wanted to smile a little but he held it in. Anakin must be inwardly thrilled. Henry knew how much he loved and cared for Padme. Really, it was all the boy wanted to talk about at times. More than once Anakin would bring up their first adventures and of course the Battle to Retake Naboo. The first few times were endearing, but after the hundredth time, Henry got a little annoyed.

Absent-mindlessly, Henry rubbed at the scar on the right side of his head. It was partially below the line of his scalp, being just visible below the hairline while the vast majority was covered by his beautiful dark locks.

He had gotten the scar five years earlier when he and his master had been sent to the desert world of Kyndara to rescue the family of Senator Bryndar. When negotiations went south and the weapons started firing, Henry and his master had gotten separated. It had been Obi-Wan who had rescued the Senator's family, and Henry? He had managed to get a graze to the head and he also had a building fall on him after he had been knocked out! Once his master had found him, medical droids had worked to stabilize him for the trip back to the Temple.

Henry had woken up with no memory of his Master, his brother Anakin, and his entire life before that was gone as well; including his mother Emma and Regina and Storybrooke. With time, Henry had regained some of his memories. He remembered his own name, his Master Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and of course his brother Anakin. He also remembered that he had been kidnapped from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. Every now and then he would see flashes of memory but they were fleeting and only lasted a moment. He would dream too, and those dreams were more like nightmares. There was a world he had never seen before and yet it seemed so familiar: shops, waterfront buildings, a large house, a clock tower...

Hearing the door ahead open, Henry snapped out of his musings, watching as two men walked out of the Chancellor's office and once they passed, Henry saw Palpatine standing there in the doorway. The man looked older than usual, but once those tired eyes found his, a friendly smile spread across the Chancellor's face.

"Ah, Henry," the older man greeted, "Come in, come in."

Walking past the Chancellor, Henry entered the room, the door closing behind him with a dull clunk.

"I know it has been a long time coming, my lad, but I have heard reports near Wild Space of a small group of people who seem to have the capability to travel beyond the realms," the Chancellor said.

"Beyond the realms?" Henry asked, confused.

"Henry, my lad, I know that you don't remember much of your past, but before your accident you told me where you came from; how you were taken from your world. I promised you a very long time ago that I would help you return home if it was your wish," The Chancellor began. "I believe this magic is the key to sending you back to your realm."

Not saying anything, Henry walked with the Chancellor to the long window overlooking many of Coruscant's buildings. Taking the opportunity to look out at a few of them, it gave him the time he needed to process his initial shock and come to grips with everything. He must have taken a little longer than usual to speak up, which was why he was a little startled when he heard the other man speak.

"What troubles you, son?" Palpatine asked, feeling Henry's conflicting emotions.

Henry didn't answer at first, wanting to collect his thoughts first. Throughout the years he had come to see what his brother had seen in the Chancellor; that he was a sounding board, almost like a father figure. For Henry, he found that he could confide in the man about things that he just couldn't tell his Master or the Jedi in general.

"You like it here..." Palpatine mused.

Henry nodded his head. "Yes. Coruscant and the people have become my home and being a Jedi, it's all I really want. Still, the thought of going home...I can't even remember it anymore. I feel like it's right there, but...I can't see it."

"If you could return, would you?" Palpatine asked, eying the younger lad closely.

For a second, young Henry returned to the boy he had once been on Tatooine. He remembered first meeting Anakin, learning how to fly a pod and of course there was the incredible Boonta Eve Classic. Snapping back to the present, Henry shrugged his shoulders; a habit he had been trying to break for awhile.

"A part of me wants to," he finally said, "But another part...I think the accident; losing my memories was a blessing in disguise. It has helped me to put an unreachable past behind me."

Chancellor Palpatine nodded his head in understanding. As the older man continued to stare out the window, he spoke once more.

"You still have those flashes don't you?"

Henry fell silent for a moment before he slowly nodded his head. For the past five years he would have glimpses of someplace that he didn't recognize but it still seemed very familiar to him.

He saw a tower with numbers and black hands moving with every second that ticked by. He saw a big book with writing and pictures but he couldn't make anything out. He also saw a strange looking yellow beast on four circular wheels.

"It sounds to me as if those memories are there just below the surface," Palpatine said. "Isn't there some part of you that wants those memories to return?"

Henry pondered over the Chancellor's question: Did he want his lost memories to return?

"What if...what if I don't like who I was before?" he asked.

"You won't know that my boy, not until you remember everything," The Chancellor pointed out.

The young Jedi padawan thought about it. Maybe Chancellor Palpatine had a point. Maybe he should go ahead and try to get back to wherever he had come from even if he couldn't remember where that was. Surely who he had been in the past couldn't have been too terrible, right?

The two men continued to talk for another two and a half hours before the young padawan was dismissed to return to the Temple. In the end, it was agreed that they would follow up on the fanciful claims about being able to travel through the realms, and if it did prove to be something tangible, then Henry would make his decision once and for all, but until that time came; if that time came, it was all just speculation and no real decision needed to be made.

…

Later that same evening, Henry decided to pay a visit to his brother, Anakin, who along with his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were providing security for Senator Amidala. All of the death threats towards her were very real; the tragedy on the landing platform upon her arrival were proof enough of that.

Upon reaching the Senator's floor, the first thing that Henry saw when he stepped off of the turbolift was the Gungan, Jar Jar, who was dressed in well fitting attire that looked quite different from what Henry remembered from all of those years ago on Tatooine.

"Henry?" The Gungan asked when he caught sight of the lad. "Henry!"

All of a sudden the Jedi padawan found himself embraced in leathery arms from the aquatic creature. Chuckling, Henry grinned and said, "Hello Jar Jar, it's great to see you again!"

After being released from the embrace, Henry smoothed down his robes before he asked, "Where's Anakin?"

"Ani is out on the balcony," Jar Jar replied in that strange language of his.

Nodding his head in thanks, Henry patted the Gungan's shoulder and headed towards the living room. He didn't know the entire layout of the apartment, yet he could feel Anakin's presence; it was like a homing beacon leading him on. Entering in to the large living area, the young padawan immediately stopped. There she was! There was Senator Amidala, sitting on the couch, sipping on something as she apparently trying to read something on a datapad.

All of a sudden Senator Amidala lifted her head and spied the young Jedi just standing there. At first neither spoke but then the young Senator squinted and then her eyes lit up joyously.

"Henry!" She exclaimed, "My goodness, you have grown tall. Anakin told me that you were still taller than he was. I just couldn't believe it!"

Blushing a little, Henry decided to be as formal as possible. He bowed in respect and then offered Padme a warm, polite smile.

"Thank you Senator Amidala. It is wonderful to see you as well. My brother talked about you every day since he and I were kids," he replied.

Henry watched the Senator's face, seeing a look of almost shock cross over her face. To the young Jedi, Padme almost seemed a little unsure for a moment, but it faded quickly.

In the back of his mind, young Henry kept telling himself that Anakin had laid claim to the Senator. While he knew that Anakin did trust him, he didn't want to ever betray that trust. Yes, Senator Amidala was very attractive; yes her smile was also a killer, but she was already spoken for.

"Tell me, does he always spy on women?" Padme asked, seemingly out of the blue.

The question threw Henry for the biggest loop. He blinked several times, unsure of how to answer the question. A million answers flooded his mind, and each one would paint Anakin as a little stalker.

"No ma'am," Henry began, "Anakin has always had a level head, especially when it comes to girls. You however...when he's talking about you he's different. If he is watching you, just know that he is trying to protect you, the best way that he can."

The answer seemed to pacify the Senator, for she nodded her head and gave a brief smile.

Feeling a presence in the Force, the young padawan didn't even turn around to know who it was.

"Master Jinn," he greeted, eyes flicking to the right as the tall, somber Jedi passed by.

When the old Master gazed at him, Henry inclined his head out of respect.

"I believe you will find my padawan out on the balcony," the Jedi Master said.

Henry took that as a quiet 'move the hell along' request without the Master actually saying it. Qui-Gon Jinn was always like that; so calm and cool and collected, even under pressure.

Inclining his head once more, Henry Mills moved through the living area, down a hall and quickly found the balcony. Without slowing his step, he crossed the threshold and stepped outside.

The cool Coruscant air whipped his dark locks back, exposing more of the scar on his head as he sidled over to his brother who was standing at the edge, looking out.

"Something's bothering you..."

It was amusing how Anakin Skywalker always seemed to sense when something was off about his brother, be it a misunderstanding, annoyance or even a physical injury. The two were always there for one another and always would be.

"I just get back to Coruscant and even before I can go report in to the Temple, I receive a summons from the Chancellor," Henry began, fingers clasping at the ledge as he leaned against it, "He tells me that he's received reports of a small group of people seemingly having the magic to travel beyond the realms."

"News like that, I would think that you would be ecstatic," Anakin said. "The chance to go back home. It's what you always talked about when you were a kid."

Henry sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so," he replied, "but I don't remember it. To be honest with you, right now I could care less about going back. Still, the Chancellor feels that I should think about it. He thinks that I may change my mind later. While he wasn't sure how to find these people, he did say that the Restricted Vault in the Jedi Archives should have the answer. He also thinks that the Jedi may have that same knowledge too but are keeping it hidden."

"How to cross realms?" Anakin asked.

Slowly Henry nodded his head in reply; gaze still locked on the Coruscant skyline which was growing ever darker.

"I suppose it's possible, but only the Council has access to the Vault," Anakin pointed out.

"I know," Henry said. He fell silent for a second, daring a quick glance at his brother before he opened his mouth once more.

"You've been having nightmares again...about mom." He watched Anakin's fists clench around the railing for a moment before releasing it.

"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her," Anakin admitted, finally turning from the balcony to head back inside, "every night it's the same. I hear her calling for me and then...I hear her screaming...and then I wake up."

Keeping up with his brother, the two padawans stepped foot back in to Senator Amidala's apartment.

"They say that dreams pass in time," Henry offered, trying to give home to Anakin.

"I would much rather dream about Padme!" Anakin interjected. "Just being around her again is intoxicating."

Henry chuckled a little. "I had a feeling," he said, "Especially when she asked me if you always spied on girls!"

Anakin gave him a half quizzical half hurt look before he smiled and chuckled as well. "She asked what?" he asked.

"Yeah! When I first got here she asked me if you always spy on women!" The brunette replied.

"Well she did cover up the cameras in her bedroom," Anakin offered with another chuckle, "I guess she didn't like me watching. She did program Artoo to alert us if there is an intruder."

The two padawans stopped near a doorway that Henry believed led to Senator Amidala's room. The door was closed, but given how many cameras and other security measures were associated with that particular door, there really was no other explanation that he could come up with.

"It sounds like you are using her as some sort of bait," Henry mused.

"It _was_ her idea," Anakin replied. "Don't worry, no harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room."

"Who said I was worried?" Henry asked with an amused look on his face.

He was about to say something more when out of the shadows Master Jinn stepped out.

As one both boys stopped talking and focused on the older Jedi Master who seemed to eye the two of them very carefully. It was a quirk of Master Jinns' something that both padawans had noticed over the years. Qui-Gon Jinn could just stare through your eyes and down in to your soul; or so it would seem at least.

Without a single word given, Henry realized that he should probably leave. Besides, he had a lot of things that he still had to do. The Council was still awaiting his arrival; something he really shouldn't have put off for this long, but oh well. They would probably chew on him but nothing too terribly bad would happen. Honestly he was more concerned with how his own Master would react. Punctuality was something that Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed to value and if you weren't punctual you would definitely hear about it!

Bidding his farewell to his brother, Henry clasped Anakin's shoulder, bowed out of respect to Master Jinn and then exited the Senator's apartment. Not five minutes later however, Henry felt all of the excitement through his connection to Anakin. He felt his brother's fear and concern when those creatures nearly bit in to Padme. He felt the thrill when Annie jumped out of the speeder and landed on the shapeshifter's craft, causing it to crash on Coruscant's surface. Henry also felt a flash of Anakin's answer when he yelled at the wounded shapeshifter; demanding that she tell them who had hired her. In the end, Henry had felt Anakin's anger turn back to fear when the shapeshifter died.

Sometimes having that tight a connection really made Henry's life that much harder because sometimes his brother's feelings would flow through and come out as Henry's own. It could be rather frustrating at times.

…

Weeks passed. Anakin was gone and he had taken Padme with him; where Henry Mills wasn't sure. In fact, if one wasn't in the know then they would possibly think that the Senator was still on Coruscant, but all of the Jedi knew that it wasn't the case. So many death threats and attempts on her life and now she had gone in to hiding with her Jedi protector by her side.

Henry Mills sat on the floor in the apartment that he shared with his Master. The lights were dimmed and the young lad was dressed in a simple tan covering which left both shoulders bare but covered his back and front all the way down to his waist. Dark black well fitting trousers went from waist to feet and black shiny boots completed the ensemble.

Sitting up straight, the young padawan had his hands resting loosely on his knees; palms down. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed. Hovering in the air about two feet away from him was a shiny lightsaber hilt and all of the components: a power cell, circuitry, energy gate, emitters, modulators, the activation buttons and of course the Kyber crystal; one couldn't forget that! Through the force, Henry could see everything. He watched all of the components slowly fit together just like a glove. In a way it was beautiful. Sometimes it was hard to have this much focus and patience to meditate. However, Henry found himself meditating more and more in the last seven days than he had in years.

All of a sudden he gasped! His eyes flew open as all of the lightsaber components hit the ground in a dull series of thumps and crashes. It felt like he had literally been shot in the chest; as if someone had reached in, grabbed his heart and had given it a hard squeeze.

What had happened?! Henry let his gaze roam around the apartment. Everything was as it should be. There were no screams, no sirens or warnings going off anywhere. So just what...

He paused as one single word filled his mind.

"Mom..." he whispered.

His mother Shmi was gone. He could feel it through the Force, as well as Anakin's own sorrow, fear and anger building and building; threatening to explode at any moment.

Tears began to roll down the young lad's eyes. He couldn't stop them nor did he want to. The woman who had taken care of him on that dust bowl of a planet known as Tatooine was now gone from the universe and he had never truly gotten to say goodbye to her.

Climbing to his feet, ignoring the lightsaber components on the floor, Henry crossed to the window, blindly eying the Coruscant skyline as the tears continued to fall unabated.

At that moment he felt cold and all alone. There was one bright speck in the universe; Anakin, but that speck was far away.

"Henry?"

Obi-Wan's voice filtered through the open apartment door as the lights from the hallway filtered through.

Sniffling, Henry didn't even turn around to face his master. Instead he said, "She's gone, Master."

Everything was silent and still for a moment before footsteps sounded. Obi-Wan walked inside the apartment; the door shutting behind him to return the living area to it's dimmed appearance.

"I know," he replied, feeling the waves of guilt and remorse washing over his padawan in droves. "You should take heart my young padawan. Your mother is one with the Force now and in no pain."

One with the Force; yeah that was what they all said. It was a calming story for sure, but it didn't make the pain go away or even lessen it's effects.

Taking a deep breath, Henry closed his eyes and concentrated on an image of himself, Anakin and Shmi taken at the podracing area on Tatooine. You wouldn't find this image on any holocron or vid, no it only existed in the lad's mind.

Seeing that smile on the older woman's face; the kindness shining bright in her eyes slowly brought out a small smile on Henry's young face.

"You know your mother loved you, young one," Obi-Wan said, walking over to Henry and placing a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. Slowly he pulled the younger man around so that they were facing each other. Obi-Wan eyed the tears that were still trickling down Henry's face. He also noted the closed eyes, eyes that slowly flickered open; irises focusing on his face.

"And she will always be with you in here," the Jedi Master continued, placing his right hand on Henry's chest for a few seconds, over where his heart would be.

Jedi Masters weren't supposed to be your friend and family; well, not really if you think about it. They were there to instruct and to teach; to guide you on your way. They weren't there to make nice or to really buddy up to. Then there were Masters like Obi-Wan. Henry viewed the man as more than a Master; as more than a friend. In a way he was like a father. A father, a mentor and a brother all rolled up in to one.

The small smile on the padawan's voice grew a little bit as he eyed his master. The older man was trying to cheer him up and while the pain was still there, Henry could tell that Obi-Wan was giving it his all.

…

 _Darkness, dampness. It was cold and yet there were waves of a brilliant heat coming from somewhere._

 _Squinting, Henry tried to see something in the ever present darkness but there was nothing to be seen. Turning to the Force, he stretched out with his mind and while his vision did not improve in the slightest, he thought he heard voices from somewhere far off._

" _Hello!" he called out, "Who's there?!"_

 _Walking forward with arms stretched out, Henry strained his ears to hear._

" _I love you, Henry..."_

 _Huh? Who said that?! It was a feminine voice and it sort of sounded familiar and yet Henry couldn't place it._

" _Hello?!" Henry called out, whirling his head around. "I know you're there! Show yourself!" he declared._

 _Slowly it was like a little fog lifted. There was a glow right in front of him and as that glow expanded, Henry found himself in some sort of cave._

 _The first thing he saw was a young boy with dark brown hair, wearing a coat and a backpack, standing in front of a woman who had black hair, make up and strange looking apparel on._

" _I wish I was strong enough to stop all this, I'm just not!" the older, dark haired woman exclaimed with tears running down her face._

" _Who are you?!" Henry yelled at the woman. She didn't respond of course but then again Henry didn't know why he was expecting her to._

" _You may not be strong enough, but maybe we are..."_

 _It was another female voice that had spoken! This voice too sounded so familiar and yet Henry couldn't tell who had spoken._

" _Henry?"_

 _And yet another voice!_

" _Hen_ ry!"

Henry Mills opened his eyes to find his Master staring down at him. Slowly he sat up on his bunk, feeling the sweat running down his back.

"Yes, Master?" he asked, taking in Obi-Wan's critical expression.

"Come, get dressed," the older man instructed. "Master Jinn has been captured by Count Dooku. Master Windu is rallying all of the Jedi we have left. We are all to travel to Geonosis to assist."

That was all it took for Henry to throw off the covers and quickly get dressed. Qui-Gon was in trouble? That meant Anakin had to be or would soon be in trouble and that couldn't happen, not on Henry's watch!

Within fifteen minutes Henry was completely dressed with combed hair and with his lightsaber clipped to his belt. Without a word to his master, the two Jedi left the apartments and headed towards the transports that would be in the hanger bay. The only question was: would they all get there in time?


	16. Chapter Fifteen - To the Rescue

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Fifteen: To the Rescue_

Slowly the Jedi transport ships landed on the outskirts of Geonosis. After a few moments the soft sound of machinery filled the air as the ramps lowered. Moments later all of the Jedi Masters and Padawans filed out of the ships. During the flight there, they all had gone over everything with Master Windu. Master Qui-Gon had been captured by his old Master, Count Dooku. There was a little concern that somehow, someway, Dooku might flip Qui-Gon's allegiance. Besides, word had come to them that Dooku had a sizable army on his hands; with Viceroy Nute Gunray's Trade Federation as well as others and of course there were the native Geonosians. With that much power, anything could happen!

It was that reason that Master Windu had called for the aid of all the Jedi they had available. No one single Master or Padawan would be able to free Qui-Gon from this mess. In fact, while no one said it, they were all thinking it: It was to be a fight to the death. They all would not be making it back to the Temple.

As one, they all raised their hoods up to cover their heads. This was it. Placing one foot in front of the other, they all started walking towards the large arena. It was where all of the noise was coming from and it was where they all knew they would find their friends.

Anakin was there! Henry could feel his brother's signature through the Force. He felt strong if not just a little nervous.

Nearing the arena, they all used the Force to mask their signatures and appearance. It wouldn't do for anyone to raise the alarm too quickly and ruin their surprise rescue!

Everyone had their assigned positions; given to them by Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi. Once they entered the mud looking structure, they all broke off. Some of them headed upstairs and some went downstairs. Mace alone headed towards the upstairs balcony where Dooku would be. Henry and his Master descended in to the lower levels of the arena so when the time came they could easily get to their friends.

Seeing daylight, Henry moved a little closer. He looked down on to the area floor. Smack dab in the middle were four stone pillars. Three of the pillars were in use. While Henry was too far away to make out any facial features, he could feel through the Force that it was indeed his brother Anakin, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Senator Amidala out there, chained to the pillars, awaiting execution. The crowds soon quieted down and a loud voice seemingly rained down on them all, explaining that their sentence was death.

Wordlessly, Henry and his master looked at one another for a split second before they refocused their attention on the arena.

A door somewhere off to the side opened and out came a Reek; a beast with a red face and horns. Then there was the tall Acklay and finally the Nexus. The beasts were forced towards the pillars by the Geonosian guards and still the signal was not given. Senator Amidala managed to free herself from her shackles and climb on top of her pillar and still the signal was not given! Just what was Master Windu waiting for?!

"Patience, young one," Obi-Wan breathed out, sensing his padawan's tenseness in the Force. "Patience."

The Acklay attacked Master Qui-Gon who expertly dodged the large beast, causing it's spike like legs to pierce the chain instead.

Anakin for his part managed to jump on the Reek's back when the beast charged him. The Jedi Padawan wrapped his chain around the Reek's horn and neck so that when the beast shook it's head, the chain snapped from it's support. Just like that, young Anakin was freed from the pillar even though his hands were still bound.

The Jedi had their hands full, that was clear. Maybe, just maybe if they defeated the beasts then they would be freed!

A grunting scream filled the air. Henry turned his gaze to the pillars. Padme was on top of her's still, having been scratched on the back by the Nexus creature. It took everything Henry had to hold himself back and not go charging out there prematurely. No, he wouldn't go off half cocked and potentially cause the mission to fail.

Henry watched Padme use her strength and momentum to drop from the pillar, swing around and hit the Nexus, toppling the creature to the ground. He also saw Anakin fall off and then get back on the Reek creature, galloping over to Padme who then dropped down on to the Reek's back.

However, not long after, quite a few Droideka's rolled out on to the arena, unfolded themselves and stood, ready to fire on the two Jedi and the Senator.

Anakin held on to the makeshift reins of the Reek as the Droideka's slowly advanced on him, boxing him, Padme and Qui-Gon in so that there was no escape.

Feeling a shift in the Force, Henry trained his gaze up in to the stands, just in time to see a hint of green in one spot and there! A hint of purple could be seen seconds later! Using the Force, Henry called his lightsaber to his hands and ignited the brilliant azure colored blade, taking his stance as his Master did the same. The Geonosian crowd began to scatter in earnest; taking to the skies and running for the exits in their efforts to get away for they knew just what armed Jedi could do.

Watching battle droids fire on Master Windu, Henry shucked his Jedi robes away and jumped on to the area floor, joining the other Jedi as they too jumped down and began to run towards Qui-Gon, Anakin and Padme.

Up ahead, from the grand entrance on to the area floor, thousands of battle droids and super battle droids ran out, each one firing at them.

Raising his lightsaber, Henry blocked the bolts that were heading straight at him. His main goal was reaching his brother, which was a goal that was easier said than done. Thousands upon thousands of bolts were streaking out towards all of them and having to concentrate on where those bolts were going to go did take time.

Two Jedi closest to the prisoners tossed them both a pair of lightsabers.

Using the Force, both Qui-Gon and Anakin called the blades to themselves. In once swift motion, Anakin used his green blade to cut Qui-Gon's bonds, freeing the older man's hands. Next, he turned down the power on the blade and used it on his own shackles; breaking the hinge and causing the shackles to fall away. Returning the power to full, Anakin barely had enough time to catch himself when the Reek bucked and tossed them all off.

Meanwhile, battle droids were falling left and right and yet more seemed to keep coming. Every now and then a Jedi; be it a padawan learner or a master would fall to the floor and lie still, having been cut down by a blaster bolt that couldn't be accounted for.

A dull roar caught Henry's attention. He watched a silver figure take off and land on the arena floor and take aim at Mace Windu.

"Jango..." the lad whispered to himself. He almost ran over to help defend the dark skinned Jedi Master, but the Reek had gotten there first.

Almost as if it were nothing, Mace managed to chop off one of it's horns and the silver armored bounty hunter, Jango Fett, managed to finally kill the beast after it had trampled him and damaged his jet pack.

Having a small window of time where he wasn't in any immediate danger, Henry watched the bounty hunter once again take aim at Mace, who expertly dodged all of the shots aimed at him while he took off at a run towards the bounty hunter. Jango took a few steps back and yet kept firing. However, all of that did not make any difference, for when Mace Windu reached the man, in one fluid motion the purple lightsaber of the Jedi Master separated the bounty hunter's head from the rest of his body and just like that, Jango was dead.

Snapping out of it, Henry finally caught up to Anakin, who was protecting Padme while she was taking cover inside an overturned cart.

"Glad you could finally make it!" Anakin shouted to him over the din.

"Hah!" Henry responded, "You know me! Always the grand entrance!"

He blocked a few more blaster bolts before the brunette padawan realized something: they were all being boxed in. The droids had them surrounded from all sides now and were slowly moving up. Oh this was so not good!

Suddenly however, the droids stopped advancing and their blasters stopped firing!

Padme, Anakin and Henry all shared a curious glance at one another before they all looked to the overhead balcony where Count Dooku was staring down at them; several large Super Battle Droids guarding him; the blaster arms raised up over their domed heads.

With the fight apparently over, Henry slowly stepped away from the cart and went over to his Master who was crouching down next to the body of a fallen Jedi. Reaching Obi-Wan, Henry saw the man gently shake his head before standing back up; the fallen Jedi was dead.

"Master Windu!" Count Dooku called from the balcony, "You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the Archives of the Jedi Order."

As the Count was speaking, the few Jedi that had been taken prisoner by the Geonosian guards, were brought out and allowed to join the others in the small circle that was surrounded by the battle droids and super battle droids.

"Now, it is finished. Surrender and your lives will be spared." The Count concluded.

There was a small pause between all of the combatants and the Count, before the older Sith began again.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, my old friend and padawan. Will you not join with me this evening? You yourself know of the cunning and lies the Order have been hiding behind."

All eyes seemed to focus on Qui-Gon, who's own eyes never strayed from that of his older Master.

It really was no secret that Qui-Gon wasn't one to really follow the Jedi rules. The Council knew that Qui-Gon had his own way of doing things, but never before had the man actually given them cause to be wary of him.

"You already know the answer to that, my Master," Qui-Gon replied with a slight inclination of his head.

"And we will _not_ be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!" Mace Windu said, answering the Count's earlier suggestion.

Jedi do not surrender to anyone or anything except under extraordinary circumstances and this wasn't one of them.

"Then, I'm sorry old friend," Count Dooku said.

At that all of the droids and super battle droids took aim once more.

So, this was it.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself and find his center, Henry took his stance: standing to the side of the enemy; non dominant leg out so that when he stepped it would be with his dominant leg first, lightsaber held in his left hand with arm behind him and blade pointed up and towards the enemy and non dominant hand also pointed towards the enemy with palm down.

This was the opening technique for Soresu; Form III, which Obi-Wan had mastered and was helping Henry to master as well.

Just when it seemed the droids would start firing again, a dull roar filled the air.

It was Padme who first reacted to it by saying, "Look!"

As one, all of the Jedi glanced towards the sky to see small armored transport ships overhead, heading downward towards them. As the ships got closer, Henry saw many white armored troopers with their guns drawn and in the middle of them, standing motionless and serene was Master Yoda!

The droids opened fire on the ships first. The armored transports however started blasting away at the droids while several ships actually landed.

Not wasting any time at all, all of the Jedi ran for the transports. Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi and a few others climbed in to the transport with Yoda, while Anakin, Padme, Henry and their Masters climbed in to another one.

Within ten seconds the armored transports lifted off and soon they were away.

One might think now that they were out of the woods, but this wasn't the case. Sure they were free of the arena, but Count Dooku's Confederacy had more than enough ships, droids and gun power to continue the fighting. The battle itself was far from over. In fact, the Battle of Geonosis was just beginning.


	17. Chapter Sixteen - Battling the Shadow

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Sixteen: Battling the Shadow_

A Bounty Hunter named Jango Fett. Geonosis. Separatists.

Names whirled around in Henry Mills' mind as he clung to one of the supports in the transport as it flew through the air, heading towards some of the Separatist transports.

Henry recalled all of the details that Master Windu had provided on the trip to Geonosis and so far everything that had been said was good.

Laser fire whirled all around them, some getting close enough to rock the transport, yet none hit too terribly close.

"We can't let Dooku escape, Master!" Anakin exclaimed to Qui-Gon.

The older Jedi as always appeared as calm as ever.

"Don't center on your anxieties, Anakin. We will find Dooku," he replied.

Coming across another legion of droids and a few starships, their pilot fired off a few shots and a number of rockets as well after being told by Anakin where to aim the rockets.

Ignoring all of the carnage around them, Henry squinted as he stared off in to the near distance. He saw large dust clouds and large rocks but he was almost positive that he had seen something else. Where was it?!

Spying movement, he quickly pointed to it and yelled out, "Look over there! There's something moving!"

Anakin glanced over in his direction and then looked at where his brother was pointing. Recognizing the cape and the silver colored hair, the padawan exclaimed, "It's Dooku! Shoot him down!"

The clone pilot turned his head and replied, "We're out of rockets, sir."

"Then follow him!" Anakin ordered. They would not let this monster escape. They _could not_ let it happen.

Count Dooku's security bots broke off, whirled around and came back up firing at the Jedi transport, taking quite a few of them off guard. One nearby explosion shook the ship, causing Senator Amidala to fall out of the transport and hit the warm sand underneath.

"Padme!" Anakin declared, worry evident in his teenage voice. Immediately he ordered the ship to be put down. It was so painfully obvious that he was unwilling to continue on with the mission without the Senator.

Qui-Gon tried to talk some sense in to his padawan but after a few moments it was clear that Anakin didn't want to listen.

The blonde haired lad was in love with the Senator, that much was obvious to everyone, but right then he was endangering the mission. Anakin was too focused on the wrong thing. They needed to be focused on capturing Dooku and ending the war before it even truly began, but no! Anakin was too worried about the love of his life possibly being hurt than anything else.

Seeing that Qui-Gon's words of wisdom were doing nothing to calm Anakin's anxiety, Henry licked his dry lips before he said, "Anakin, you need to ask yourself what would Padme do were she in your situation?"

Henry knew he shouldn't have gotten involved in a Master/Padawan discussion but from where he stood, Anakin was literally two seconds from jumping out of the transport! Besides, they were low on reinforcements anyway! If one were to think about it, they really needed more than four Jedi to capture Count Dooku but there was absolutely no time to rally more troops. All they could do was put their faith and trust in one another and hope that it would be enough to bring Dooku in to custody.

Watching the Count's speeder enter a large building that looked like a hanger bay, both padawan's gripped their sabers tightly. The sooner they took care of the Count the sooner they could check on the wounded; including Padme.

Just as their own transport slowed, Henry and Anakin both jumped off at the same time. Milliseconds before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were to jump off, a series of blaster bolts struck the transport, causing it to explode; fiery pieces raining down on to the sandy ground.

"MASTER!" Henry cried, alarmed. At first glance the explosion happened too suddenly for there to be any survivors, but even as his eyes followed the burning wreckage, he saw two figures at the bottom of a sand dune directly under them.

"There!" Anakin said, pointing to the two figures that were starting to climb to their feet. "Looks like they're alright."

Heaving a small sigh, Henry then turned his attention to the hanger bay. "We can't wait for them. Dooku will have escaped by the time they get up here."

It was a hard truth but Henry was correct. The longer they waited the more likely the chance that Dooku would be long gone.

Seeing Anakin nod his head, Henry ignited his azure blue lightsaber and ran in to the hanger bay with his brother right beside him; green blade held tightly as well.

It didn't take long to find the main part of the bay. Off to the side the two padawan's saw Count Dooku at a small console and a droid rolling on board a ship; presumably to pilot it.

"You are going to pay for all of the Jedi that you killed here today, Dooku." Anakin said, saber raised.

"We need to take him together," Henry said, eying the situation.

Before Henry could offer up more ideas, Anakin Skywalker gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "I am taking him now!"

Blood running cold, Henry took a step or two towards Anakin and Dooku purely out of instinct as he yelled out, "No!" but by then it was too late.

The Count lifted a hand; blue lightning shooting from his fingertips to smash directly in to Anakin, sending the boy hurling in to the wall in a smoking mess.

Gulping, Henry lifted his sword up and pointed it at the Count who just leisurely started to walk parallel to him; one hand on that curved lightsaber handle of his.

"As you can see young one, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now, back down." The Count said, wielding more blue lightning.

Centering himself, Henry was able to focus on the lightning and use his lightsaber to literally absorb the energy like it was nothing. To be honest he didn't know much about counter acting Force lightning. In fact he had hardly studied the subject at the Temple. Force lightning was something that the Sith used; Jedi didn't use it so why did he need to study up on it?

"I don't think so, Count. You don't scare me," Henry said, straightening his shoulders. He watched Dooku take out his lightsaber and ignite the red blade. With the Count now armed, Henry rushed the older man. He preformed a simple slash and then slipped right back in to Soresu; a form that was more defensive than offensive.

"Ahh, Henry Mills of course!" Count Dooku said after exchanging a few blows with the lightsaber, "Master Kenobi's young protege. You disappoint me son. Both Yoda and your Master hold you in high esteem. Surely you can do better than this!"

Not answering the Count, Henry instead focused on his movements. Parry, Parry, thrust, jump right, turn, parry again...

The moves continued on and on as their sabers connected, filling the room with noise.

After a few rounds, the Count didn't even look like he had broken a sweat!

Henry however had a fine sheen of sweat on his brow and his heart was hammering in his chest. The Count was very strong; not just in the Force but physically as well. Man, where were Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan?! Surely they could have gotten to the top of the sand dune by now! He really needed their help!

When Henry's saber collided with the Sith's once more, Dooku turned his wrist and the red blade sliced in to Henry's arm.

In shock, the younger lad cried out and dropped his lightsaber which deactivated once it hit the floor.

The Count didn't stop there though. Whirling his arm, that red blade then nicked the boy's knee. It wasn't a terribly serious injury by any stretch of the imagination but it was enough to render Henry helpless.

"I am sorry lad. I would have offered for you to join me, but you are more trouble than you are worth," The Count said.

Groaning in pain, Henry watched the red saber lift up. So this was it. This was how he was to die; cut down by Dooku's saber; just another Jedi casualty on the battlefield of Geonosis.

Just as the Count brought his saber down, all of a sudden there was a green saber that blocked the red blade.

It was Anakin! His clothes were still smoking but his eyes were smoldering in annoyance and maybe a little fear.

"Nobody touches my brother!" Anakin said through gritted teeth.

"Brave of you boy. I would have thought you had learned your lesson," Dooku said, eying Anakin.

"I am a slow learner," Anakin replied.

While the Count and Anakin had been speaking, Henry had inched forward just enough to grab his lightsaber; one of his most prized possessions. Gripping it tight he yelled out, "Anakin!"

Tossing the lightsaber at his brother, Henry watched his brother catch the blade with ease and ignite the azure blade.

Just like that though Anakin continued the fight, whirling first one blade and then the other at the Count. However, it was apparent that Dooku was the master swordsman between of the two of them. After only twenty seconds, the Count had already run his blade through Anakin's green saber, rendering it useless.

Down to one blade, Anakin still didn't stop. He would slash and parry; never taking his eyes off of Dooku. When the Count moved one way, Anakin kept up with him. For a moment it seemed that Anakin actually might be able to best the Count, but Dooku had other ideas. In the blink of an eye Count Dooku blocked yet another attack from Anakin, whirled around and with the flick of the red lightsaber, he severed Anakin's right arm slightly above the elbow and then force pushed the padawan back to crash on the floor and slide in to Henry's legs.

Still in a world of pain, Henry grimaced as he tried to turn himself to get a better look at his brother. Just as he moved, he heard a little click of something wooden hitting the ground.

Apparently Count Dooku heard the sounds as well for the old man turned just in time to see someone else entering the hanger bay.

"Master Yoda," Dooku greeted out of courtesy.

"Count Dooku," Yoda replied, resting his green hands on his gimer stick.

"You have interfered with our affairs for the last time," The Count said. He lifted his hands and used the Force to break off several heavy canisters from the wall and fling them at Yoda who expertly pushed them away with the Force. Next, the Count attempted to rain portions of the rock ceiling down on the Grand Master, yet Yoda managed to stop their decent and push them away as well!

"Powerful you have become, Dooku. The Dark Side I sense in you." Yoda said.

"I have become more powerful than any Jedi!" Dooku declared, "Even you!" He lifted a hand and fired a steady stream of Force lightning at the green Grand Master, and yet Yoda easily and effortlessly absorbed everything Dooku threw at him.

"Much to learn you still have," Yoda said after a few minutes.

"It is obvious that this contest can not be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber," The Count replied. Taking his lightsaber back in hand, he reignited the red blade and preformed the courtesy bow of respect towards Yoda.

Not taking his eyes off of Dooku, the green Grand Master pulled back a portion of his robes to reveal his small lightsaber. Using the Force, Yoda called the weapon to his hand and ignited the green blade.

The two combatants stared at one another only briefly before they both jumped towards one another and the duel was on.

Red blade struck green and vice versa. Count Dooku would parry and slash and then Yoda would parry and twirl; time after time jumping so that he was at head level with the Count which forced Dooku to lift his arms even more to parry Yoda's blade.

It was a stalemate; neither one gaining the upper hand. After only five minutes, Count Dooku crashed his blade against Yoda's one final time, holding it there.

"Fought well you have, my old Padawan," Yoda said, seemingly grunting out the word 'padawan' as if he didn't even want to say it.

"This is just the beginning!" Dooku insisted. Removing one hand from his two handed grip on his lightsaber, Dooku used the Force to crush the base of a tall metal tower that was off to the side of Henry and Anakin. With the base of the tower now compromised, the tower began to fall directly towards the two padawans.

Without hesitation, Yoda quickly powered down his lightsaber, re hooked it to his belt and held out his three fingered hands towards the falling tower. It was either continue to fight Dooku and let the tower crush the students, or let Dooku go and save the two injured padawans. For Yoda, it wasn't a choice at all. They would have another chance to get Dooku. No more lives needed to be lost that night.

Slowly the tower's decent stopped just as it was about to hit Henry and Anakin. It really just seemed to hover over their bodies for a moment before it moved off to the right and then dropped to the ground with a thunk.

Gritting his teeth to keep from crying out with the pain, Henry forced himself back on to his feet, being extra careful not to put any weight on his injured leg. Next, he helped pull Anakin up as well; the other padawan clearly in pain and a little shock from having lost his arm.

Just as Dooku's ship took off with the Count inside, Henry dimly heard the sound of blaster fire outside, but whoever was shooting at the ship, it did no good as the craft continued to head towards the sky and wherever the Count's destination truly was.

The sound of running footsteps filled the chamber moments later. It was Padme, two clone troopers and a very sandy Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Anakin!" Padme exclaimed, running to her one true love.

When the Senator had reached Anakin, Henry released his brother and let the two lovers be.

"Did we miss something?" Master Kenobi inquired, eying the injuries to both his padawan and Qui-Gon's.

Grimacing, Henry nodded his head and replied, "You could say that."

Obi-Wan moved over to his apprentice and wrapped an arm around him, helping to support Henry's weight as they all began to head out towards the waiting clone transport that would take them back to Coruscant.

They had failed. Count Dooku escaped and many Jedi were lost. For better or for worse, the galaxy had been altered that very day for the Clone Wars had finally begun.


	18. Chapter Seventeen - Secrets

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Seventeen: Secrets_

The trip back to Coruscant was thankfully uneventful. It gave everyone a chance to lick their wounds and take an account of the fallen.

Anakin Skywalker and Henry Mills were taken straight to the medical wing of the Jedi Temple to be treated for their injuries and the rest were just trying to take stock of the entire situation.

The Republic was at war. Geonosis was the first strike. It was something that no one wanted, but it had occurred none the less and now it was kill or be killed; a situation that none of the remaining Jedi particularly liked. The Jedi were all about peace and prosperity; not death and destruction. In a way it went against a lot of their beliefs and traditions but they had to adapt.

With one single bacta treatment and a few hours rest, Henry was released from the med bay; his burns and cuts completely healed.

Anakin took a little longer. The medical droids had to build the young padawan a prosthetic arm, attach it and then run some tests for functionality and comfort. The arm was clearly robotic; completely made of metal with no attempts to place any sort of skin or protective covering over the metal joints. Anakin didn't seem to mind though.

The very next day, Senator Amidala indicated her intention to return to Naboo and just like that, Anakin went with her. It was quite clear that the two were attached at the hip and that Anakin had strong feelings for the Senator. Everyone just hoped that he wouldn't take things too far and do something that he would regret, though Henry could feel Anakin's intentions towards Padme. He knew that his brother planned to wed the Senator on Naboo.

…

" _Got any juice? Never mind, found some!"_

 _A child's voice caused Henry's eyes to fly open. Sitting up on the couch, he looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. Just where the hell was he? Nothing looked familiar at all._

 _Standing up, Henry followed the strange sounds of something closing, something dimly scratching on the ground and then something being unscrewed, until he found himself in another room._

 _This room was bigger even though it had more things in it. There was a good sized table, chairs around the table, lamps, a strange contraption that seemed to drip water and beyond all that were windows; a whole lot of windows that looked out on to a dark landscape._

 _As he walked further on in to the room, Henry finally studied the young lad. That's when he realized that the boy sitting down in one of the chairs, drinking some yellow concoction was...himself!_

 _When that realization hit him, the barest hint of something fruity appeared on his tongue. Juice! Yes! Orange Juice! That was what the beverage was called!_

 _A door behind him opened. Turning to look, Henry saw a young lady in her late twenties to early thirties come out wearing a pink, sleeveless dress. The lady was blonde, thin, beautiful and very familiar._

" _You know, we should probably get goin'," The child said from his seat at the table._

" _Going where?" The blonde lady asked, folding her arms._

" _I want you to come home with me!" The child replied; a grin on his face._

" _Home..." Henry whispered to himself as he watched the blonde lady threaten to call the cops._

 _Going over to the younger version of himself who had swiveled in that chair of his; never taking his eyes off of the blonde. Older Henry looked down at the young lad and asked, "Where is home?" The young version of himself gave no answer to his question; in fact, the young lad didn't even seem to see him at all!_

" _And I will tell them you kidnapped me," Young Henry said._

 _Realizing that he had missed some part of the dialogue, Henry wanted to kick himself for not paying attention._

 _The blonde woman eyed the child for a moment before she pressed a button on the gadget in her hand, causing that annoying tone to stop._

" _And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother," she mumbled._

" _Excuse me?!" Older Henry exclaimed, whirling around to take another look at the blonde haired woman._

 _Birth mother?! This woman had just claimed to be his birth mother! All this time Henry wished that he could remember his past and now this! Was this for real or was his mind just trying to make up something to fill the void?_

" _Wait, please don't call the cops," young Henry begged."Please! Come home with me."_

" _Where's home?" The blonde woman asked._

 _Older Henry looked between the lad and the woman. Yes, where was home? That was the one answer that alluded him. Maybe if he could remember home he could remember why he cared about it so much. Right now it was just a blank spot in the back of his mind. It didn't mean anything to him, it didn't..._

" _Storybrooke, Maine." Young Henry said._

" _Storybrooke? Seriously?" The blonde woman questioned, sounding like she didn't buy the name._

" _Mhm," the lad replied with a nod of his head._

" _Alrighty then, let's get you back to Storybrooke," the woman said._

" _Storybrooke..." Older Henry mumbled, trying the name out on his tongue. "Stor..."_

 **...**

The Council Room doors closed behind him. He had been given a mission; his first ever without his Master!

Suppressing a yawn, Henry headed for the turbolift that would take him down towards the hanger bay and the apartments.

Now he could almost forgive his friend Rene for waking him from his sleep! He had been in the midst of a dream when she had come knocking on his door, telling him that the Council had requested his presence at once.

The dream; Henry was still trying to piece it together. This strange blonde woman had said she was his birth mother and then this young child that certainly looked like Henry when he was younger said that home was a place called Storybrooke, Maine. This Storybrooke, could that really be where he's from? The name did sound oddly familiar and the way it rolled off the tongue, it was like Henry had said the name a million times before. Hmm, maybe he should ask his Master, or Anakin when he saw either of them again.

Now was not the time to worry about that anyway. He needed to be focused for this mission. It was a rescue mission. A group of six Jedi Initiates and their instructor had gone missing. They had been on The Gathering; a rite of passage for the Initiates in which they would find and claim their individual lightsaber crystals for the first time. Their due date to be back at the Temple had come and gone by a week and a half and no one had been able to reach them. Now, after the Battle of Geonosis had wiped out quite a few Jedi, the Council could no longer be so choosy as to who they would send to look in to the matter. Henry figured that was why they had asked him to go.

The mission didn't sound all that interesting but he wouldn't fail the Council.

Returning to his apartment, Henry packed lightly. His Jedi robes, his lightsaber and his replica Ressikan Flute; something he had been working on for awhile. He had seen the image in his dreams and now had built what he had seen. So far he had only learned one song on the beautiful instrument, but the song was so peaceful...it helped him find balance. Henry couldn't remember where he had first heard the song before, but it had been played by some famous Captain on a famous ship, that was all he could remember.

Bag packed, Henry set off for the hanger bay. He hoped the mission wouldn't take too terribly long; just a Knight that had lost track of time. It had happened before; granted, it didn't happen a whole lot, but it _had_ happened!

Signing out one of the starfighters, Henry jumped in to the cockpit and fired up the engines. The sooner he started the mission the sooner it would be over.

…

The rescue mission was proving to be more difficult than the padawan learner anticipated. He had arrived on Illum where the Initiates were supposed to be, but the signal coming from the planet was a fake. Now, Henry was tracking another signal from the Jedi Knight's transponder that was leading him towards a planet in the Stygian Caldera located in the Outer Rim Territories. It was very odd that the transponder signal would be originating from way out there because the location was inside the old Sith Worlds region of the Territories. Yes, the Sith hadn't been around for a millennium but there were stories about their planets being haunted by the spirits of the dead Sith who had lived there.

"That's it...Moraband..." Henry said; the green R4 unit attached to his starfighter giving him a few beeps and whistles.

Reading the translated astromech droid speech, Henry shook his head. "No, don't contact the Council yet," he said. "We have nothing to report. We need to find Ari and the Initiates first. Hang tight, I'm going to enter the atmosphere and look for a place to set her down close to the signal."

Entering in to Moraband's atmosphere, Henry locked on to the transponder signal once more and used it as a beacon to lead him on.

The signal ended at a towering pyramidal structure that was located at the rear of the Valley of the Dark Lords. The building was made of durasteel and stone and yet it seemed to reflect the sun's rays from the very apex of the building.

Spying the small transport that had been commandeered by Ari to transport the Initiates to Illum, Henry landed his own starfighter next to it.

"Keep a lock on my signal, R-4," he instructed. "If something happens, alert the Council immediately and head back to Coruscant. Don't wait for me."

It wasn't his intention to frighten the little droid but this was a Sith planet and there couldn't be any good reason why a Knight would bring young Initiates to a haunted Sith world.

Climbing out of the starfighter, Henry hooked his saber to his belt and then headed towards the Jedi transport.

The ramp to the transport was down and the power was low. The inside lights flickered. Other than that there was no movement whatsoever.

Walking up the ramp, Henry checked the main compartment first. It was empty. There was absolutely no sign of the children. Next he moved on to the cockpit. He hoped he wouldn't find anything in there either; it would mean that whatever had forced the children out of the shuttle hadn't killed them. Stepping in to the cockpit, there was no sign of Ari which was a small blessing for Henry.

Sighing a little, Henry glanced out the view port towards the academy. The only other shelter around the transport was the abandoned Sith Academy. It was the only other place that they could have possibly taken shelter. Yet, why would they leave the shuttle? That was what Henry wanted to know.

Leaving the transport, Henry headed for the academy. The climb up the stairs was hard on his knees due to the climb being as straight up as possible. At the top there were two statues of slaves on their knees. Henry didn't understand the symbolism and he really didn't care at the moment.

"Just find them and get out...find them and get out..." he mumbled to himself. He wasn't scared per say, it was just that abandoned places made him very uneasy.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Henry spotted the open entrance to the academy. Deciding not to call out and potentially alert whoever was there that they weren't alone anymore, all Henry did was pull back a corner of his Jedi robe to make his saber that much more available to him at a moments notice.

Still, Henry didn't step foot inside the academy just yet. He was eying his surroundings first; something that his Master had taught him long ago.

The young Jedi couldn't explain it, but through his eyes it looked as if the interior was a little smoky; not smoke from a fire but something else. It seemed to billow and swirl, blocking out some of the lights. It was quite obvious that the smoke wasn't a natural occurrence. Still, it wouldn't stop Henry from going inside. Heaving a deep breath, the young lad stepped foot in to the academy and started his search.

As Henry walked, he took in his ever changing surroundings. Stone pillars; some with pictures and engravings. Large rooms that looked to be able to fit as many as thousands of individuals in them. There were also a lot of old books scattered around aimlessly.

The more he walked, the more it seemed as if the walls were trying to close in on him. He felt cold; chilled right down to the bone. It wasn't just the ambient temperature of the room; no it was something else as well, something evil. The smoke continued to swirl around him as well; almost as if it were alive.

All of a sudden, out of the blue, Henry heard the sound of a lightsaber activating. He hardly had a moment to call his own saber to his hand and activate it before a hooded figure jumped at him from the shadows and took a swing at him. Henry parried the blow and gave two quick swipes of his own. Just like that though the hooded figure vanished as if it had never been there!

"Okay..." Henry mumbled, a little confused. That was strange.

Keeping his saber out and at the ready, he entered into a smaller chamber. Right there kneeling in the center of the room was Ari! Breathing a sigh of relief, Henry almost deactivated his saber. Ari was there and safe! He was the twin brother of Lyara; the girl Henry had met when he had first arrived on Tatooine all those years ago. When he had gotten accepted in to the Order, Ari had become his friend and mentor even though they were almost the same age.

"Ari!" Henry exclaimed.

"Henry, don't -!" the Jedi Knight replied.

However, before either of them could do anything, a dark and hooded figure morphed out of the shadows directly behind Ari and thrust the red blade of a lightsaber clean through his back before the figure disappeared again.

"NO!" Henry shouted. He ran over and collapsed on the ground next to his friend. Putting both hands on him, Henry was bound and determined to keep him alive much like what he had done for Qui-Gon Jinn back on Naboo.

"No...Henry..." Ari whispered; blue eyes slowly opening. "You must...find the Initiates and get out...It wants you. Don't let it get you..."

Henry shook his head, not understanding what Ari was trying to tell him.

"I don't understand," he began, "Who wants me?"

"Was too weak...he wants someone stronger. Hen-Henry, listen. Get the Initiates out! Get them back to the Temple...safe. They're your responsibility now..." Ari whispered. Slowly the Jedi Knight's eyes closed and his body went limp.

In shock, it was all Henry could do to hold on to Ari. His friend was gone; snuffed out like a light. That bright flame in the universe was now gone forever!

"Welcome, Jedi. I've been expecting you..." a soft, feminine voice whispered from the darkness.

"You are going to pay for what you did here today!" Henry said. Gently he released his friend's lifeless body and stood up, calling his saber back to his hand.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before the Council sent someone to investigate the disappearance of these...children..." the figure seemed to blanch at the word 'children,' almost as if the word made it physically sick.

"And so I finally have myself a Jedi, but...are you worthy?" the figure asked.

"Worthy? Worthy of what?" Henry asked, having absolutely no idea what this Sith was going on about.

"Of becoming my apprentice..." the Sith figure crooned.

Henry blinked. Had the Sith figure really just said that?

"I will never turn to the Dark Side...or become your apprentice..." Henry said, tightening his grip on his lightsaber. "Now, release the kids, they haven't done anything to you!"

The mysterious Sith didn't even seem to hear Henry's last statement because it ignored it completely.

"Anyone can be turned to the Dark Side," it said. "All that is needed is the proper motivation. Like you...Henry Mills. I have seen your future. It is inescapable."

Henry shook his head, not believing a word the Sith said.

"You're wrong!" he proclaimed.

The Sith laughed.

"You can't escape your destiny," it said.

"My destiny is to become the best Jedi that I can be!" Henry said, straightening his shoulders as he stepped towards the Sith. He was getting a little tired of this cat and mouse game. If this Sith was intent on fighting, then they should just get it over with!

"Your destiny is the Dark Side young Mills! I have foreseen it! You and your brother help to bring down the Jedi Order and purge the galaxy of the threat that is the Jedi Knights!" the figure replied.

"I don't believe you!" Henry countered. This Sith threat was just trying to buy time. That was all there was to it, right?

The figure turned to face him once more. Wordlessly it extended a hand and then out of the darkness a frightened young Jedi initiate appeared. Grinning, the figure held the child by his neck and said, "Do you believe this?" In one swift movement the child's neck was broken and the body dropped back to the ground.

In shock, Henry stood there for a moment, before he gritted his teeth and launched himself at the figure who once again evaporated in to thin air.

"Quit running away like a coward!" Henry yelled. "Picking on people who are weaker than you are proves nothing but the sick fact that you are weak! Come back and face me!" He figured that if he could get the being's attention and keep it then the remaining children would be safe. All he had to do was find them.

Hearing screams coming from down the hall Henry took off in to the darkness towards the screams. He couldn't feel anything besides the thick heaviness that was the Dark Side. It scared him but he pressed onward.

Just as he rounded a corner the figure jumped out at him again. He swung his saber at the figure but again and again it would disappear. Sometimes Henry would land a hit to the figure's red lightsaber and sometimes he wouldn't. Sometimes the figure would mockingly cry out his name as if it were trying to make fun of the children crying out to him.

After a time, Henry grew tired and restless. This figure, whatever or whoever it was, was toying with him. Why, Henry didn't know but he had had enough of it.

"Show yourself you coward!" he called out once more. "Come out and face me! Stop running away!"

Five seconds later the sound of a saber igniting filled the air. Slowly, almost like it was in slow motion, the hooded figure jumped down from a flight of stairs and approached him. It raised it's saber and the two exchanged several blows before Henry ducked, twirled around and swung his blade up, severing the figure's head from its shoulders.

"Asshole..." Henry muttered; remembering the slang term.

Powering down his saber, he clipped it back to his belt. Leaning down, he pushed up the hood on the now decapitated head and nearly fell back on his butt! The head...it was the head of that blonde woman from his dream! The one that had identified herself as his birth mother!

"What?" Henry asked to no one really.

Slowly the darkness around him seemed to lift, only to show the fallen bodies of the children all around him.

"You killed them..." the voice of the figure said; this time in the blonde woman's voice. "You killed them all..."

"No, you did!" Henry replied angrily. How dare this figure; this entity accuse him of killing children when he himself had seen the thing end their lives!

"Are you so sure?" the voice asked.

Before Henry could respond, a life size hologram appeared on the floor directly to his left. It began to play, showing from the time Henry landed till that very moment. The hologram showed Henry checking the ship and entering the Academy. It showed a young, scared Initiate coming out from the shadows and then it showed Henry igniting his saber and cutting the child down.

Henry was in shock and despair as the hologram showed him killing Initiate after Initiate.

Every time the figure had attacked him...had that really been an Initiate running towards him? Had what he had been seeing been some sort of trick to get him to murder children?

"No..." he whispered, a few tears trickling down his face, "No! Why are you doing this?!"

"To show you what you are capable of. You cannot escape your destiny young Mills. The Dark Side will always be a part of you. This is but the beginning for you. In time you will come to realize the truth. It is the only way...it is your destiny..." the figure said.

With that the voice stopped.

Slowly the black smoke cleared. The hologram disappeared as if it had never been there and the air itself seemed to clear, leaving only the dead bodies of the Jedi children.

Henry looked all around the area for the hologram but there was no trace of it. Had he really murdered all of the children like the Sith figure said he had or was it all part of some mind trick to make him believe that he had done something when he hadn't?

Confused and wanting answers but knowing that he couldn't stay, Henry gently gathered up the children and brought them down to the barely functioning shuttle. After stowing them away, he went and retrieved his friend's body. As he worked he couldn't help but continue to picture the hologram of him supposedly murdering the children. What would he tell the Council? What could he tell them? He may have killed the children and then again he may not have?!

No, it was best not to tell the Council anything save that a dark Sith had done it.

The minute he was ready to go, Henry jumped back in his starfighter and powered it up. Taking off back towards Coruscant and the Temple, Henry closed his eyes and attempted to meditate while R-4 flew the ship. Just what was he going to do? What the _hell_ was he going to do?!

…

Darth Sidious walked away from the security hologram; glee written all over his face. It really was all too easy to get Jedi Padawan Henry Mills to believe, or at least pose the possibility that he had killed someone. To be honest, Sidious thought it might take some more ingenuity than that, but apparently not!

Finding Jedi Knight Ari and those annoying little Initiate brats had been the easy part as was luring them off of Illum. Getting them to Moraband had been a little difficult because all of the Jedi knew that Moraband had been a Sith controlled planet. Convincing someone to kill the Jedi children had been easy enough but convincing the Dark Spirit that dwelt within the Academy to co operate; that was difficult. Sidious himself had actually had a hand in the manipulation of the Jedi padawan; using his strength and connection in the Force to aid in the dark manipulation of Henry Mills.

Now it was done! Darth Sidious could feel the uncertainty rolling off of the young lad in waves. His confidence and security in the Jedi Order were shaken and right then, that was enough for the man. Now, it was time to continue on with his plan. Soon enough the Jedi would be crushed. Who would be standing at his side when that time came? Only time would tell.


	19. Chapter Eighteen - Questions

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Eighteen: Questions and Realization_

Emma, Regina, Mary Margaret and all of the others spent three days looking high and low for any clue as to where Greg and Tamara might have taken Henry. What did they all find for their efforts? Not a blasted thing! Both Greg and Tamara's belongings had been sifted through with a fine toothed comb more or less and it taught them nothing.

"We can't give up hope," Mary Margaret said to Emma when she found her daughter on the porch of Regina's house, crying. "He's out there somewhere, waiting for us to find him."

Sniffling a little, it was all Emma could do to nod her head. She was trying to be strong but lets face it! It was hopeless! They had a planet but that was it! No name, no identifying structures, nothing!

"He trusted me," she finally muttered; voice a little nasally from the crying. "He trusted me to protect him and I couldn't. I just let those...people take him!"

"You did your best, Emma. Henry knows that," Mary Margaret replied.

"First Neal and now Henry...!" Emma continued, almost as if she didn't hear her mother's words. "I've lost my son and his father! I..."

"Emma?"

Hearing a voice that she thought she'd never hear again, a teary eyed Emma Swan looked towards the black gate which was being opened by a dark haired man.

"Neal..." she whispered, hardly daring to hope. Were her eyes deceiving her? Neal Cassidy had been shot and then had fallen through a portal. There was no way he could still be alive after something like that! Yet, as she continued to sit there and watch the man, the vision never wavered.

Once the man was close enough, he spoke again. "Emma, it's me."

Emma sat there silently for a moment longer before she abruptly stood up and launched herself at Neal, wrapping her arms around the man's neck as she continued to cry.

"I thought you were dead!" she sobbed out, not wanting to let him go.

"Yeah, so did I," Neal replied, hugging Emma tightly. "But I was saved by Aurora and Mulan. It's a long story. Do you mind if I tell it to you later? Right now, where's Henry?"

"Henry?" Emma asked, slowly pulling back from Neal so she could look him in the face. "Greg and your fiance, Tamara, took him through a portal."

"What?" Neal exclaimed.

Wiping away her tears, Emma said, "The two of them were hell bent on destroying Storybrooke. They activated the failsafe and we almost didn't get it shut down. By the time we realized what was happening they had Henry. I tried to get to him in time but they dropped a bean in the ocean, it opened up in to a portal and they all jumped."

"Your father had a globe; some sort of tracking device," Mary Margaret chimed in, coming to join her daughter. "It showed us where Henry was."

"What did it show you?" Neal asked.

"A desert world, but none like I've ever seen before," Emma replied.

"Desert world..." Neal muttered. That was a _big_ help. There were so many desert worlds! How could they know which one to go to?

"Desert world..." he muttered again.

Suddenly Neal had a flash back of the image he had seen: Henry in Jedi clothes! What if...!

"Desert world! Of course!" he exclaimed.

Without giving any more explanation, Neal ran in to Mayor Mills' house and bolted up the stairs. Needless to say, David Nolan, Captain Hook, Regina and everyone else were quite surprised to see someone they thought dead bounding up the stairs like a rabid dog was on his heels.

Curious, they all joined Neal in Henry's bedroom, where the man was looking through drawers and opening up closets.

"Neal, what is it?" Emma asked, confused. "What do you know?"

"I have to make sure before I tell you!" Neal shot back, opening up a plastic lid off an equally plastic tub.

Not finding anything, Neal went to Henry's bed and looked under it. Spying a dark plastic box that was about the size of a suitcase, Neal pulled it out and opened it up. Inside were the DVD's of the entire Star Wars original trilogy plus the prequels, a few boxed Lego Star Wars sets, a few Star Wars comics and of course the model of Anakin Skywalker's Podracer from Episode 1, still in the box.

"I think I know where he is," Neal finally said, looking up at Emma and everyone else. "A planet called Tatooine."

…

"Tatooine?" Regina Mills scoffed from her place at the head of the table. "This isn't some science fiction movie. This is real!"

After Neal had given his hypothesis on Henry's whereabouts, they all had trodden downstairs to sit at the large dining room table. Needless to say, not everyone believed Neal's theory.

"There's a lot of people who would say that fairy tale characters aren't real either and yet here you are. Here we all are," Neal countered with ease.

"Touché," Regina replied.

"When I was in the Enchanted Forest, I saw Henry through a crystal ball. He looked different; older. Late teens to early twenties. He looked happy..." Neal trailed off for a moment, realizing too late that 'happy' was a word that no one wanted to hear at that point.

"He was wearing a Jedi outfit," he continued. "He had the clothes, boots, even that little braid thing over his ear. I thought it was a cosplay outfit! It looked very realistic! But, what if the reason it looked realistic was because it was real?!"

"So, let me get this straight. You are trying to say that Henry's aged nine or so years in just a few days, and that he is some sort of Jedi from a science fiction franchise?" Emma asked.

Neal was nuts. That's what everyone around the table wanted to believe, but the more Neal told them about Star Wars and Tatooine, the more they started wondering if perhaps Neal was right!

Seeing that Emma wasn't convinced, Neal decided to slow down. He realized he was getting a little overly excited; the nerd in him was coming out.

"I know it sounds crazy but from what I understand, you weren't exactly a believer yourself when Henry was trying to convince you that the stories in his book; fairy tale stories, were real," Neal said.

"Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is _Star Wars_?"

Hearing that question, several shocked pairs of eyes landed upon Mr. Gold, who was standing there with one hand on his cane, studying one of the books that had been in the box. Mr. Gold had never heard of _Star Wars_ before? Had never even seen any of the movies?! To Emma and Neal, that was hard to fathom!

"I've never heard of it either," Belle put in, taking Mr. Gold's arm as she sheepishly looked at the others.

"Come on! Light side, Dark side, lightsaber fights, starships, interesting planets, Stormtroopers with poor aim, Jedi Knights...the Death Star! You don't know any of it?" Neal asked with arms held wide open in disbelief.

Smoothly, Mr. Gold shook his head no.

"Believe it or not Bae, viewing films was not high on my list of priorities," he replied, putting the book back down.

"Okay, we have to watch the films!" Neal proclaimed, grabbing three of the six films. He was bound and determined to have his father see the _Star Wars_ films! Having Rumpelstiltskin be ignorant of such a great franchise was just unthinkable!

"Now hold on!" Regina interjected, "You want to watch a half days' worth of useless movies instead of going to search for Henry?"

"It won't be useless if Gold sees all of the dangers we'd be walking in to," Emma shot back; fully in support of the Dark One viewing the films.

While everyone had been talking, Mary Margaret had been looking at the prequel trilogy movie cases; studying the pictures and reading all of the text closely. Yes, she had seen all of them before; she was quite familiar with the story but now with the possibility of her grandson being in this world, she began to realize just how much about the franchise she didn't know.

"Not only that," she said, still glancing at the cases, "But has anyone thought about _'when_ ' Henry landed in that universe? It shouldn't be so much of where as _when_ ,"

"Not following," Emma replied.

"Well think of it this way. If Henry went through the portal and came out during this time," Mary Margaret held up the _Attack of the Clones_ case, "And we go through during _The Empire Strikes Back_ , Henry wouldn't be the same little boy anymore, he would be all grown up. And, let's not forget what happened in Episode Three. We need to figure out which film Henry favored more. Then we will have a better grasp on when we should go back to get him."

Mary Margaret was right of course; Emma realized this in an instant. If they went to get Henry in the wrong time frame, Henry would not be her little boy any more and who knows! He could also be dead; killed during the Jedi Purge! Besides, didn't Neal say that he had glimpsed Henry as a young adult in Jedi garments?

"There's nothing in that box that even gives a hint as to which film Henry liked more. We will just have to take an educated guess," Emma said, "After Gold sees the films."

Regina tossed her arms up in the air in disgust. So what if Gold hadn't seen the films?! It wasn't like he was helpless! He was the Dark One for crying out loud! Surely he could defend himself!

"Once we're done, _then_ we'll go. I want our son back as much as you do, Regina, but having everyone know what we are walking in to is important," Emma said, "So, the sooner we watch the films, the sooner we can go."

"Fine, as you watch your precious little movies, I will keep searching. I just can't sit around and watch entertainment while Henry is missing!" Regina exclaimed before she turned and marched out of the room.

Regina was pissed; that was clear to see but Gold needed to know.

Wordlessly, Neal gathered up the films and headed for the DVD player that was down in the living room. Emma was right. The sooner they watched and finished the films, the sooner they could make an educated guess and go rescue Henry.


	20. Chapter Nineteen - The World is Changing

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Nineteen: The World Is Changing_

The Clone Wars had begun in earnest. Every day seemed like a millennium and every year seemed like an eternity to the Jedi Knights and to the citizens of every single planet they fought to protect from the Separatists. Shortly after the Clone Wars had begun, both Anakin Skywalker and Henry Mills had been knighted for their bravery and unfailing loyalty to the Order. Though the ceremonies themselves were short, each one held a special meaning in the hearts of the newly knighted Jedi.

Soon after, when the fighting grew more gruesome, the two brothers were separated; each sent to fight their own battles.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn, in all of his infinite wisdom, took a small number of clones and a small handful of Jedi before he had gone off to whichever planet the Council sent him to.

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was thus paired with Anakin Skywalker. In the beginning, it was a rather unusual pairing as most everyone thought that Obi-Wan's old apprentice should have been the one that that Master Kenobi should work with, but such was not the will of the Jedi Council. As the Clone Wars continued to wage on, it soon became apparent that the team of Kenobi and Skywalker was a force to be reckoned with.

Where did this leave Jedi Knight Henry Mills? In a manner of speaking, it left him alone. He did fight in the War; he did go where the Council sent him. But as a general rule, he fought alone. In the span of those three years, Henry saw a lot of triumph, a lot of setbacks and a lot of death; both Separatist Battle Droid and unarmed civilians alike. In that span of time he had also grown a lot closer to his best friend, Rene, for she had been there a vast many times; times in which his own brother couldn't be there for him.

A soft chime in the darkness was enough to interrupt Henry's meditation. Slowly his brown eyes slid open and in to focus. Gingerly, he rose to his feet and somewhat limped to his front door, pressing a button which allowed the door to slide to the right.

"Rene?" Henry asked, seeing the brunette woman standing there at his door, a smile on her face.

"General Kenobi's plan was a success. He and General Skywalker have made contact with the Council. The Chancellor is safe, but General Grievous has once again escaped," the blue eyed brunette informed.

"The Chancellor is safe," Henry repeated, stepping back to let his best friend in to the apartment. "That is fantastic news." He kept his voice even and somewhat soft. Ever since his return to Coruscant from the outer reaches of the galaxy, he had been quiet and partially withdrawn.

What happened to him only two weeks ago still weighed heavily on his mind. Every waking moment he saw those bolts heading straight for his starfighter. He felt the heat of the burning control panel and he felt gravity take hold of the vehicle, plunging it towards the surface...

"Your wounds are continuing to heal," Rene remarked, eying the cuts that would surely be scars on Henry's face as she stepped in to the apartment, letting Henry trigger the door's closing mechanism. "Does your right leg still hurt?"

Henry didn't answer at first, instead limping in to the living room of his apartment; his friend following.

Easing himself back down on to the couch he had been sitting on earlier, he picked up his lightsaber, eying the grip and the buttons. It fit his hand like a glove. It was custom; designed and built by him to be an extension of his arm; a weapon to protect and defend.

"It aches when I walk," he admitted, "But it's getting stronger. My ribs too..."

"When they first brought you back to the Temple...for a while I was so afraid that you wouldn't survive..." Rene admitted; fear shining in her eyes for a split second.

Hearing the tone in her voice, Henry looked from his lightsaber to Rene's bright, shining eyes which were shining on him ever so brightly. He could feel the emotions rippling off of her. Ever since the war had begun, Henry had felt himself beginning to care for her. It was much more than the relationship he had with his brother or with his own Master. It was even beginning to become much more than friends. That was what scared him. Loving relationships were forbidden because it could lead to fraternization. Fraternization could divide a Jedi's loyalties, not to mention become a life threatening distraction, and that couldn't happen.

"For awhile I didn't even want to survive," he admitted. "Ventress killed Master Li-Li. I...I was there. I could have stopped her but I was too slow. She took that shot and then Master Li-Li's ship...it was just gone."

"Then what happened?" Rene prompted. She had heard the story from some of the Council members, but she wanted to hear it from Henry, himself.

"I chased her; Asajj. She and I shot at each other. She was a good pilot, but I was better. I just knew that I was better. I hit her fighter; knocked out an engine. I guess I just got too cocky and arrogant. I didn't see the bolt until it was too late. It hit my starfighter and then there were sparks everywhere; electricity too. Another bolt hit and a fire broke out in my control panel. I managed to steer my ship in to the atmosphere of the nearby planet. Asajj though, she kept firing at me. My ship started to break up and she kept firing...the last thing I remember was hitting the ground." Henry said.

To hear his version of events was especially hard on the young Jedi Knight. She had gotten word that he had engaged Asajj Ventress in battle and then nothing for three days. She felt his connection in the Force dim as if it had been extinguished. For those three days she had feared that he had died, but when a Master/Padawan team returned to the Temple carrying Henry's badly injured body, Rene suddenly felt alive again.

"All I can say is...you do that to me again and I will kill you myself!" Rene declared in a joking/mischievous tone of voice. For most Jedi, it was never a good or wise thing to threaten death upon another, and yet Rene felt she could do so with Henry. She wasn't serious and she felt that he would know that.

"I'll try to be more careful," Henry agreed. He forced a small smile on to his face before he let it fall. He was still beating himself up over that. He looked like a Jedi old beyond their years at that given moment.

"There's something else bothering you too," Rene realized. "General Kenobi and General Skywalker..."

Heaving a sigh, Henry nodded his head. "Yes," he said. "I feel..." he paused, not sure how to word everything.

"Hurt and betrayed?" Rene guessed.

Henry was silent for a few moments before he once again nodded his head in affirmation. "Obi-Wan was _my_ Master. If anyone should have been paired with him, it should have been me. I feel...jealous...I guess. And I know I shouldn't. It's not the Jedi way, yet I can't shake these feelings."

Rene pursed her lips in thought. She understood what was racing through her friend's mind. Spending most of one's childhood with one, single person and then having that person more or less ripped from you once it was deemed that you didn't need them anymore. It was hard for anyone with a soul to come to terms with that.

"Who are you more angry at?" she asked, "Your Master or your brother?"

"I...I..." Henry paused and sighed. Standing back up, he brushed his Jedi tunic back down and limped towards his front door. "I have to feed Bae," he said. He didn't even wait for his friend to leave his apartment. Instead, he just opened the door and limped out. His limp wasn't overly pronounced and it wasn't enough for him to lose balance. It was just enough that one could notice it if they watched him for a time.

"Bae!" he called out after taking a few steps from his apartment in the Jedi Temple, "Bae! Baelfire!"

Baelfire was a dog that he had found on the planet Tatooine. It had been beaten and was nearly starved to death; its brown fur was all but gone and it's brown eyes were dim. Upon first laying eyes on it, the poor creature had pulled on his heart strings. Even when there was a war on, Henry had taken the dog and brought it back with him to Coruscant and nursed it back to health, and now it was his constant companion. At first the Jedi Council hadn't been to keen to have a rambunctious dog running about, but they all had eventually warmed up to it, especially with all of the kisses it seemed to want to plant on them all. Even so, Henry had promised that the dog was his responsibility and his alone. That had seemed to be enough to appease the Jedi Council.

Slowing his gate, Henry focused on his footsteps, trying to subdue the limp. He didn't want anyone to take pity on him for what he had gone through.

"Bae!" he called out once more. "Baelfire!"

A strong bark sounded off in the distance. Recognizing the bark, Henry set off in that direction. Soon he came to the inside landing platform to see Baelfire jumping all over the recently returned Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I think I found something of yours," Obi-Wan joked when he caught sight of his former apprentice.

Baelfire barked again and again before he launched himself at Henry, jumping at him and wagging his tail.

"I heard about your encounter with Ventress," Obi-Wan said, eying Henry carefully. "You handled the situation adequately."

"Master, a Jedi Knight is dead and I nearly lost my life. I don't think 'adequately' correctly describes the situation," he said.

"The loss of Jang Li-Li is terrible," Obi-Wan agreed. "Even so, I wish I could have been there."

"What's done is done, Master. I survived, plus you were here to come up with the successful plan that rescued the Chancellor from the hands of the Separatists. It is not my place to argue with the Council's decisions, especially when we are close to ending the war once and for all." Henry said.

Obi-Wan could tell from the underlying tone that something was bothering his former apprentice, but before he could even ask what it was, Henry turned and after beckoning that Baelfire follow him, he limped off presumably back to the apartments.

Something was going on with his apprentice. Obi-Wan just wished that he knew what it was. Ever since the lad had been knighted he had seen less and less of the growing young man. After a Padawan joined the ranks of the Jedi Knights, the Council felt that as a general rule; pairings were not needed. That was their reasoning for separating them after Henry's Knighting. Of course, it still didn't answer the question he still had: Why did they choose to pair him and Knight Skywalker up instead of Mills? At the time things were too earnest and dire to ask questions and now it was too late.

In the last three years Henry had grown in to a brilliant and talented Jedi Knight, still Obi-Wan kept feeling that something was missing. Maybe he should try to get Henry to open up to him as he once did a long time ago. Truth be told he missed all of those late night conversations the two of them used to have. Oh well, now was not the time for that, the General realized. His apprentice was just one Jedi. Right at that moment, there were reports to be given and there was still the thorn known as General Grevious still on everyone's mind. The war wasn't over yet. Maybe when it was he could talk with Henry about everything. Yes, maybe then.

 _. . . . . ._

The days passed slowly for the Jedi Knights. Every night Henry had nightmares of his mother, Emma, being killed by some form of darkness. He had been having those dreams for the past six months. Ever since the war had begun he had started to regain more and more of his lost memories. He remembered Emma and Regina; his grandparents and bits and pieces of Storybrooke. He also remembered being taken away in the first place; being made to jump through that portal and every time he thought about it, it made him angry. He should have been stronger! If he had been, then he could have gotten away from his captors.

Meanwhile, at Senator Palpatine's urging, Anakin Skywalker had been placed on the Jedi Council. Henry was happy for him, especially after Anakin had informed him that Padme was pregnant and that the two of them wanted him to be the baby's godfather. It was such an honor that he was just too happy to accept.

The Jedi Council had been in deliberation every day. No one knew the real reason why, but they all suspected that it was because of General Grievous.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Henry turned to see Obi-Wan Kenobi heading straight towards him; a somewhat grim look on his face.

"Master?" Henry asked.

"You missed the recent report on the Outer Rim Sieges," the older Knight began, "but that is not why I am here, and believe me when I say that I did not want to put you in this situation at all..."

"What situation?" Henry asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Henry, the Council wants you to report on all of the Chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he is up to. They know your friendship with him. They know you can do this," Obi-Wan said, voice displaying his uneasiness.

"They want me to spy on the Chancellor? But...that's treason, Master. Why are you asking me to do this?" Henry asked.

"We are at war, Henry," Obi-Wan replied.

Henry thought about the request. The Council wanted him to spy on his mentor? The one man who had been there for him through everything!

"I don't understand Master, why didn't the Council give me this assignment when they were last in session?" he asked.

"This assignment is not to be on record," Obi-Wan said.

"The Chancellor is not a bad man, Obi-Wan. He befriended me when I was just a child. He has also watched out for not only me but my brother as well ever since the two of us arrived here," Henry replied.

"That is why you must help us," Obi-Wan begged. "Henry, our allegiance is to the Senate, not to it's leader, who has managed to stay in office long after his term has expired."

"The Senate demanded that he stay longer," Henry reminded.

"Yes, but use your feelings Henry, something is out of place!" Obi-Wan said.

Henry crossed his arms and moved to the nearby window, staring out at the buildings and the passerby's in their ships; going about their own lives.

He couldn't believe his former Master was asking this of him. It was like the Jedi were trying to control him more and more! First it was all of the silly rules, then ripping his Master from him and now it was like they were trying to determine what sort of friends he could and could not have!

"You are asking me to do something against the Jedi Code, against the Republic, against a mentor and a friend, _that's_ what's out of place here," Henry shot back. "Why are you asking this of me?"

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment, fixing Henry with a look before he replied, "The Council is asking you," in a soft voice. "Henry...the Council has also tasked your brother with this assignment as well, but some have doubts that he will do this. Some feel that he is too close to the Chancellor and those same people have the same doubts about you. Henry...if Anakin cannot do this, then it falls to you. You are our last hope. Please...help us."

Henry swallowed softly. The Jedi Council were asking him to betray his own brother; betray a mentor. He couldn't explain it but some part of him was telling him that yes, that was the right thing to do. Lives could be saved; millions of lives. Yet...

"Let me meditate on this master," he requested. "It's a very bold request; one that I cannot fathom at this moment. I need some time."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said, "But don't wait too long in your decision. The Chancellor has asked for your presence..."

Searching his master's eyes, Henry nodded his head. Bowing out of respect, Henry began to head for a transport as he ran his options through his mind. Just what the hell should he do?

. . . . . .

At any other time, a trip to visit Chancellor Palpatine would have brought a smile to Henry's face. The Chancellor was very approachable; well, at least as approachable as Chancellor's could be. There was no hate, no animosity, no sense of failure or disappointment. There was only understanding and wisdom radiating off of the older man. However, now that the Council had placed a heavy burden on his shoulders via Obi-Wan, Henry almost dreaded the visit.

They wanted him to spy on Palpatine! Find out what he was up to, listen in on all of his dealings and report back. It was shady, crooked and at that moment it made Henry angry and embarrassed to even be wearing the cloak of a Jedi, let alone call himself one.

Punching the control panel of his brand new starfighter in anger, Henry flew across the Coruscant sky on his way to the Galaxies Opera House where he knew he would find Chancellor Palpatine. The older man had always loved the Opera and there was a show called _Squid Lake_ playing. He would definitely not want to miss that.

A chirp from his commlink caused Henry to jump ever so slightly. How long had it been going off? Flipping a switch, he put on the earpiece and spoke. "Yeah?"

"What's going on, Henry?" The voice of his brother, Anakin Skywalker, rang out through the speakers of his headset. "I can feel confusion radiating off of you like a cloud. It's not like you."

"It's the Council. They want me to spy on the Chancellor! It's wrong, immoral and it's against the Jedi Code!" Henry exclaimed. He had a feeling that his task was supposed to be kept confidential but he couldn't help it. He needed to vent to someone and he knew he could do that with Anakin without fear of judgment.

There was a small pause and an audible intake of breath before Anakin replied, "They wanted me to do that as well, but I couldn't. What's more, the Chancellor seemed to guess what the Council wanted me to do. He didn't blame me and I am sure he won't blame you. Henry, brother, times are changing. The Chancellor feels that the Jedi may make a move on the Senate. I sense it too. Something is going to happen and it's going to happen soon."

"I know, I feel it also." Henry said. "Something's coming that's going to change the course of the galaxy forever. We just have to make sure that we're ready for it."

"We will be..." Anakin replied.

Seeing the Opera House just up ahead, Henry vectored in his approach. Slowing down his starfighter, he maneuvered it down, softly landing in the nearby hanger bay.

"I've got to go. The Chancellor has sent for me," Henry said.

"Henry, just be honest with him He'll understand if you decide to tell him about what the Council have asked you to do." Anakin replied.

Nodding his head even though he knew that Anakin couldn't see it, Henry terminated the communication, popped the hood of the starfighter and then jumped out, using the Force to slow his decent to the ground. Striding with purpose, Henry entered in to the Galaxies Opera House. He walked through the main entrance, past the ticket counter and up several flights of stairs. He could have taken the nearby lifts but for him, the stairs were faster.

Finding the Chancellor's private box was easy. It was the box with literally the best view in all of the opera house. Besides, it wasn't the first time that he had been there.

Entering in to the box, Henry softly approached Palpatine's seat, and once he was there, he gently knelt down beside the Chancellor's seat. It was an ongoing opera tale after all and one needed to show at least a modicum of respect if not just to the Chancellor but to the performers as well.

"You wanted to see me, Chancellor?" he asked, looking at Palpatine's face.

"Yes, Henry come closer. I have good news. Our Clone Intelligence Unit have discovered the location of General Grievous. He's hiding in the Utapau System," Chancellor Palpatine began once Henry had leaned in closer.

Hearing that General Grievous' location had at last been discovered, Henry couldn't help the smile that instantly spread across his face.

"Finally!" He softly exclaimed. "We will be able to capture that bastard and put an end to this war once and for all!"

The Chancellor caught the look on his young protege's face. Henry's yearning to capture Grievous was just as strong as young Skywalker's. Not twenty minutes prior to Henry's arrival, the Chancellor had also spoken with Anakin and had given over the exact same information.

"I would be worried about the collective wisdom of the Jedi Council if they didn't select you and your brother for this assignment. The both of you are the obvious choice by far. Sit down...!" The Chancellor glanced to the one lady to his immediate left and softly ordered, "Leave us." The woman bowed her head ever so softly and stood up. The two beings beside her and to the right also stood up and one by one filed out of the box.

Wordlessly, Henry stood up and crossed over in front of the Chancellor, taking the seat recently vacated on the Chancellor's left.

While he had not seen the production that the Mon Calamari were putting on, he knew by word of mouth statements that _Squid Lake_ was a little more than half done. To be honest, opera was never one of Henry's strong points. No, he enjoyed the edgier tunes and also the soft woodwinds.

"Henry," The Chancellor began after a few moments of silence. "You know I am not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will."

Henry, who had been facing front, watching the production, blinked several times before he looked over at the Chancellor questioningly.

"I am not sure that I understand. What plot are you referring to?" Henry asked.

"Henry, you must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They are planning to betray me," Palpatine said.

"Chancellor, I don't think..." Henry began, but almost immediately the Chancellor cut him off.

"Henry," he slightly admonished, "Search your feelings, son. You know...don't you?"

All of a sudden Henry wished that he could just sink in to his seat and disappear. All at once his mind went back to the last conversation he had had with his old Master, Obi-Wan, and the Council's desire and request for him to spy on Palpatine. He had already gotten the feeling from Anakin; who had been granted a seat on the Council not too long ago, that every single Master on the Council did not care for the Chancellor at all.

"I uh...I know that they don't trust you...at all..." Henry mumbled.

"Hmm. Or the Senate. Or the Republic. Or Democracy for that matter," Palpatine muttered in reply.

Taking a deep breath, Henry let it out slowly as he thought back over to Anakin's request to tell the Chancellor everything. As he continued to sit there with the seconds ticking away, he began to realize that he just couldn't betray the Chancellor. It would be like betraying his own brother and he just couldn't do it!

"I have to admit," he began, "My trust in them; the Council and the Jedi in general, have been shaken."

"Why?" The Chancellor asked. He had been watching the opera when Henry had fallen silent, but now hearing the lad's revelation, he turned his gaze back on the boy. Seeing the way that Henry's eyes crinkled in dismay and perhaps embarrassment, it was then that Palpatine realized that it wasn't just Anakin the Council asked to betray him, it was Henry as well.

"They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?" the Chancellor asked.

Again, Henry didn't answer right away. His cheeks flushed and he suddenly found the floor and the opera very interesting.

"I uh...I...don't know what to say..." he said, very embarrassed.

"It is alright son. Thank you for informing me. Now, Henry, remember back to your early teachings. 'All who gain power are afraid to lose it,' even the Jedi." Palpatine said.

That little gem had been drilled in to Henry's mind since his second lesson at the Temple. Of course the instructors had been talking about the Sith at that time, but now that he put it against the Jedi, Henry realized that it could also mean the narrow minded Jedi Knights as well!

"The Jedi use their powers for good," Henry automatically defended those that he wasn't sure he could trust.

"Good is a point of view, Henry! Did you know that the Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way? Including their quest for greater power." Palpatine said.

"But..the Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards, only about themselves," Henry once again automatically defended, reciting almost word for word what had been drilled in to him ever since he was young.

"That sounds like your teachers talking," Palpatine pointed out, "But, think about this son: You say that the Sith rely on their passion for their strength and that they think inwards. Now, do you honestly think that the Jedi don't?"

"The Jedi are selfless. They only care about others," Henry mumbled, once again reciting Jedi rhetoric.

The look on his face was enough to tell the Chancellor that that particular subject was closed.

Wordlessly, the two of them focused their gazes back on the ongoing opera happening down below.

"Henry, have you ever heard of the tragedy of Darth Zith'al the Strong?" The Chancellor asked after a few moments of silence.

Curious, Henry tore his gaze away from the production and once again looked at Palpatine before he answered, "No."

"I thought not. It's not a story that the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith Legend," The Chancellor began. "Darth Zith'al was a Dark Lord of the Sith. He was so powerful and so strong and brave that he could use the Force alone to influence the midichlorians to create portals to other worlds. He had such a vast knowledge of the Dark Side that it was rumored he could travel from galaxy to galaxy; world to world...at will."

Henry was silent. This was it! This was what he had been searching for for so long! Ever since he had gotten the vast majority of his memories back, it had reawakened his yearning to find a way back to Storybrooke. While he had firmly believed that it was only possible to open up a portal from Storybrooke, now his confidence in his belief was shaken.

"He could actually open portals to other worlds with the Force?" Henry asked, clearly interested.

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," Palpatine whispered.

The Dark Side was evil, immoral, unnatural and yet! If it were true that this Darth Zith'al had once had the power to do the one thing that Henry craved...could the Dark Side really be that bad?

"Wh-what happened to him?" Henry asked.

"Hmm?" Palpatine asked. "Oh, he became so powerful. The only thing he was afraid of was...losing his power." The Chancellor nodded his head after fixing Henry with a glance.

"Which, of course eventually he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then, his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic. Darth Zith'al could have saved himself at any time but when the time came...he failed."

Henry was silent for a moment. He was very much intrigued with the prospect of learning the power to open up portals. But, would it truly mean having to join the Dark Side in order to do it?

"Is it possible to learn this power?" he asked, looking at the Chancellor.

"Not from a Jedi," the older man replied.

Seeing the desire in Henry's eyes, the Chancellor knew that the lad was hooked. Anakin had been the same way. After the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise and the tale that Darth Plagueis knew how to stop and keep people from dying, Anakin had been hooked and the Chancellor was reeling him in just like he was doing with Henry.

"We will talk more after the show," The Chancellor promised. "For now, relax and ease your mind."

As one, the two of them turned their attention back to the opera unfolding before them, even though Henry's mind was still ablaze with possibilities that he had once given up on. Going home never felt as possible as it did at that moment and it was something he just had to hold on to.

 _. . . . ._

The days continued on as before. Henry hadn't needed to pass on the Chancellor's information to the Jedi Council as Anakin had done so already; at least the information about General Grievous. Once the information was deemed correct, it was up to the Council to decide who to send after the General. Almost immediately Anakin had volunteered not only himself but Henry as well; stating that the Chancellor believed they were the best choice. Not even half a beat later though, Mace Windu of all Jedi said that neither of them were experienced enough. It was Ki-Adi-Mundi who suggested that Obi-Wan-Kenobi should go after Grievous; the Council taking a vote and agreeing.

It was hard hearing their decision, plus Anakin's own emotions did nothing to help Henry, but there was no going against the Council's decision on this matter.

Henry didn't see Obi-Wan away on his assignment. He felt that it wasn't needed. No, he kept his distance from everyone except Baelfire and the Chancellor, who kept telling him tales of other Sith Lords; fueling his fire to learn Darth Zith'al's power. Still, he was finding it hard to convince himself to just turn his back on the Jedi. They had been his family for so long, it was like cutting off a limb! No matter how much he distrusted them, he couldn't just abandon them either.

A week after Obi-Wan departed, the news came that he had engaged the General on Utapau. Henry had been close to the ward room when the report had been given as he had wanted to speak with his brother. After Anakin had been tasked to give the report to the Chancellor, Henry had hidden in the shadows to continue to listen in even after his brother had walked off. He couldn't explain it but he felt that something important was going to happen.

"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi. The Dark Side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor." Mace Windu said once the youngest member of the Council was gone.

"If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office," Ki-Adi-Mundi replied.

"The Jedi Council would have to take control of the Senate in order to secure a peaceful transition," Mace said.

From his place in the darkness, Henry lifted his head ever so slightly. He knew it was wrong to listen in but he couldn't help it! The Jedi Council wanted to take control of the Senate? That went against everything he had ever been taught!

"To a dark place this line of thought will carry us," Yoda said, deciding to be the voice of reason. "Great care we must take..."

Realizing that the meeting was almost over, Henry silently slipped away. He had to talk to the Chancellor; warn him somehow. It really was true! The Jedi wanted to take over! Once he was safely away from the ward room, Henry broke in to a quick jog, jogging all the way to the docking bay where he boarded his ship and flew directly to the Senate building and Palpatine's office.

By the time he arrived at the Senate building, Henry saw Anakin briskly walking out of the building, a serious look on his face. There was a lot of turmoil written all over Skywalker's face; Henry could see it. Just what was bothering Anakin? What did he know? What had the Chancellor told him? Henry wanted to know but Anakin was too far away. Remaining silent, Henry watched his brother jump back in that red starfighter of his, fire up the engine and take off, presumably back to the Jedi Temple.

Sighing, Henry glanced back at the Senate Building. Part of him wanted to go after Anakin but another part of him felt that talking to the Chancellor was much more important.

"Right..." he mumbled, opening the canopy of his own starfighter.

Stepping out, Henry straightened his Jedi robes and briskly walked towards the interior of the Senate. If he couldn't catch up to Anakin then perhaps the Chancellor himself could fill him in. In the back of his mind though, Henry felt that something was coming and whatever that something was, he had to be ready for it or everything he had worked for would fall apart.

 _. . . . . ._

The air seemed almost thick as Jedi Knight Henry Mills made his way all the way up to the Chancellor's office. It wasn't a relatively long walk, but Henry was taking his time. His thoughts were a complete swirl of emotions and ideas. With what he had overheard, he knew for a fact that the Chancellor would be very interested. Granted, all the Jedi had done was talk about it but talking could lead to actions.

Entering in to the Chancellor's Office, Henry saw the elder man rounding his desk.

"Chancellor," he greeted with a slight bow of respect.

"Ah, Henry my lad. Come in, come in," Palpatine greeted. Secretly, the older man was very surprised to see the young lad there. He had not summoned the Jedi and it was Anakin that was on the Council. Anakin had already delivered the message about Grievous and the Chancellor had already revealed his true identity to the Chosen One. Surely the Council wouldn't send one lone warrior to try and apprehend him. If that were so it would just be sad.

Seeing the stressed look on Henry's face, Chancellor Palpatine realized that something major must have happened.

"What is it my son?" he asked.

"Chancellor, I have learned a terrible truth. You were right. The Jedi are plotting to take over. They want to remove you from power and seize control of the Senate," Henry said.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Henry. I can see that you are trying to break through the web of lies the Jedi have created around you and Anakin," Palpatine began.

Wordlessly Henry nodded his head in agreement, allowing the Chancellor to continue.

"Henry, let me help you to know and understand the subtleties of the Force."

Palpatine stepped away from his desk and gestured with an open hand towards the nearest couch.

Moving over to the couch, Henry asked, "How do you know the ways of the Force?" Gently he sank down on to the couch, keeping his eyes on the Chancellor.

"My mentor taught me everything about the Force," Palpatine replied. "Even the nature of the Dark Side..."

"Ex...cuse me?" Henry asked, a slight warning tone taking over his voice momentarily. The Dark Side? The Chancellor really and truly knew the Dark Side?!

"You know the Dark Side?" he asked.

"Henry, if one is to understand the great mystery one must study all of it's aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a...larger view of the Force," Palpatine said as he sat down beside Henry.

"Be careful of the Jedi, Henry. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi! Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force and then you will finally be able to achieve something that you have long wanted: to return to Storybrooke and to your mother," The Chancellor stated, a sly smile spreading across that old face of his.

"What did you say?" Henry asked, that warning tone back in his voice as he sat up straighter and turned his body to face the Chancellor.

"Use my knowledge, Henry, I beg you!" Palpatine replied.

Immediately Henry jumped to his feet, calling his lightsaber to his hand through the Force. Catching it from the air and igniting it, Henry quickly circled around the Chancellor.

"You're the Sith Lord we've been looking for!" He accused, automatically pointing the blade at Palpatine.

"I know what's been troubling you, son. Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi and the Council! Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance, of conscience." Palpatine said. He stood up from the couch and placed a loving hand on Henry's shoulder even after the young lad had raised his lightsaber blade up and pointed it at him.

"Are you going to kill me?" The Chancellor asked.

"I would certainly like to!" Henry retorted, voice wavering. He couldn't believe that his friend and mentor was a Sith Lord! How could he not have seen that?! Yet there was a feeling in the back of his mind that told him he _should_ have seen it coming.

"I know you would," Palpatine whispered, "I can feel your anger. It gives you focus; makes you stronger!" His voice took on a darker tone that should have scared Henry, but it didn't.

After a few more moments of contemplation, Henry shut down his weapon and rehooked it to his belt.

"I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council," he said.

"Of course, you should. But you're not sure of their intentions, are you?" Palpatine asked.

"I will quickly discover the truth of all this," Henry promised.

"You have great wisdom and perception, Henry." Palpatine replied. "Know the power of the Dark Side. Power to send you back home..."

Henry swallowed hard, never tearing his gaze away from Palpatine. His instincts were telling him to run and tell the Council immediately. They had found the threat that had been alluding them all this time! Yet, there was another part that was telling him that he should wait.

Not sure what he should do, Henry gave a slight nod of his head before he turned and briskly walked back to his starfighter.


	21. Chapter Twenty - Can't Go Back

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Twenty: Can't Go Back_

Henry sat in a gray chair in his apartment at the Jedi Temple, his hands together resting under his chin. In front of him, to the side of the small table that was just within arms reach, lay little Baelfire. The dog was laying down on his stomach with back legs outstretched and front paws holding down a hard plastic like chew toy in the shape of a starfighter. It was something that Anakin had purchased for him on some remote moon when somehow word had leaked that he had gotten a pet.

Still, hearing the dog happily going to town on that chew toy wasn't enough to interrupt Henry's thoughts.

Feeling angry and confused, Henry reached over and grabbed the replica Ressikan Flute that he had made all those years before. The original Ressikan Flute was first seen on an episode of _Star Trek The Next Generation_ which was titled _The Inner Light_. The song that Captain Picard had played had always stuck with Henry. Even when he had had his accident and lost all of his memories of home, he had never forgotten that song. Hearing it, learning it and now playing it just like it had been recorded, always brought him peace and helped him find his center. It was something that his old master, Obi-Wan, always found perplexing to say the least, and yet whatever helped the young man feel calm, centered, relaxed and at peace was alright in anyone's book.

Placing his fingers on the appropriate holes, Henry raised the instrument to his lips, shut his eyes and began to play. As he played the song he replayed all of the events of the last few days and hours in his head: Overhearing that the Council was ready and willing to overthrow the Chancellor and take control of the Senate if Palpatine didn't give up his emergency powers, hearing the story of Darth Zith'al and his ability to use the Force to open up portals that would take him to other worlds, and of course there was the huge bombshell that the Chancellor had laid upon him not even an hour ago.

The Chancellor was a Sith Lord! Not only that but apparently he wanted to teach him the ways of the Dark Side of the Force! Sith Lords and the Dark Side were all supposed to be very bad things and yet, picturing the Chancellor as more or less the 'face' of the Dark Side, surely it couldn't be all that bad! Besides, didn't the Chancellor say that the Jedi and Sith were identical in almost every single way?

As he continued to play, Henry also became acutely aware of Anakin's own emotions. They still had a very strong bond; even stronger than the Master/Padawan bond that any Master and Padawan had ever had. Sometimes Henry would try to block it out when Anakin's feelings were off the charts, but not today. Henry could feel all of Anakin's doubts and sadness. They washed over him like a whirlwind and it nearly broke his concentration.

Ceasing the music, Henry just sat there and 'listened' to Anakin. He felt Anakin think on his mother and then all of a sudden, an image of Shmi Skywalker smiling at a younger version of himself flashed in to Henry's mind. Next the image changed to Padme Amidala. Henry could feel all the love that Anakin had for the woman he married. It made Henry almost wish that he himself had been married, or at least asked Rene to marry him, but no. He had dedicated himself to the Jedi Order. When he had brought Baelfire to the Temple, he had had to jump through some hoops as it were in order to get the Council's permission to keep him, but thankfully they had finally relented.

Opening his eyes, Henry put the flute back down on the table. He knew what he should have done when he first found out who and what the Chancellor was. He should have immediately alerted the Council that the Sith Lord they had been looking for was literally right under their noses. That was the right and proper thing that _any_ Jedi should have done. The sheer fact that he didn't do that but instead had gone straight to his apartment after returning to the Temple...it made Henry realize his own self doubts about the Order.

Anakin would have alerted the Council though. Being a member of the Council meant that Anakin had a bigger obligation to turn the Chancellor in. It meant that things now were in motion and they couldn't be changed...or could they?

If Henry sat back and did nothing then Mace Windu would still die and Anakin would become Darth Vader. Vader would then return to the Temple and slaughter everyone there before setting off for Mustafar where he would take out the Separatists and then get in to a fight with either Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn and then he would get his legs and one of his arms amputated via a lightsaber and of course to cap that off he would catch fire.

However, what would he do if he went along with Anakin to the Chancellor's Office? He could either help Mace Windu and potentially save the galaxy by defeating Palpatine and more than likely Anakin as well. Or, he could do what his heart was telling him to do and defend his brother. Besides, Palpatine had told him that he could teach him the ways of the Dark Side and together they could learn Darth Zith'al's power! With that power he could potentially return home to Storybrooke which was what he had always wanted! Sometimes one had to shake hands with the Devil himself in order to achieve their goals, right?

Save a Master and member of the Council from certain death and betray his mentor and his own brother, or side with his mentor, defend his brother and turn his back on the Jedi Order. It was a hard decision in a way as it would be a life changing decision for all involved.

Feeling his brother leave the Council Chamber, Henry knew that the time was now. He could either stay in his apartment and defend the Temple when it would be attacked, or he could go after Anakin.

Immediately Henry's eyes found Baelfire who was still chewing happily on his chew toy. It would be a monumental shame if the dog never got to meet his namesake, not to mention get to walk the streets of Storybrooke.

"Mother forgive me..." Henry mumbled to himself. Rising from his seat he marched briskly to his door; his limp pretty much gone as he was focused on something more important. "Bae, stay! I will be back." Henry commanded the dog who barked once in acknowledgment before returning to his toy.

Jogging through the block of apartments, Henry Mills knew exactly where he would intersect with Anakin: just before the docking bay.

Anakin was moving fast but still he could be caught!

Reaching the docking bay in record time, Henry had only just stopped to catch his breath.

Spying movement off to his right, Henry felt almost immediately who it was. Opening his mouth he called out, "Brother!"

Slowly the tall figure stopped and turned around to face him.

Henry saw that yes indeed it was Anakin, but Anakin looked completely wrecked, with tears of pain streaming down his face.

"I...I..." Anakin began, finding himself unable to speak.

"I know..." Henry said, taking a few steps forward, "I'm not here to stop you. I too have had my faith shaken of late. Let me come with you! The Chancellor cannot be killed!"

It took only a few moments before Anakin nodded his head and instead of hopping in to the one seater he had been about to take, the blonde jumped in to a black two seater.

Smoothly, Henry jumped in to the passenger seat mere seconds before Anakin hit a few switches and they were off.

The sun was going down as they flew at almost breakneck speeds towards the Senate building. They just had to get there in time! Already, Henry could feel things coming to a head through the Force. He was almost positive that his brother could also feel it too. It was like destiny was calling. Running things over in his mind, Henry tried to think of something he could say or do to get Mace to back down without the older man losing his hand and then his life. That's really where it all began. He refused to listen to Anakin and that had forced the blonde to make a choice and the results of that choice doomed the galaxy for many years.

As he continued to ponder his options, Henry remembered his journey to Moraband and his encounter with the Darkness. It had said that the Dark Side was his destiny. Of course he had denied it then but now it was like what had been spoken had been a vision of his future. Had the Darkness been right after all?

Seeing the white knuckled grip Anakin had on the controls, Henry bit his lip for a moment before he said, "We'll get there."

"I need him alive!" Anakin exclaimed, "Without him...!"

"I know...Padme might die..." Henry replied. Of course he knew about Anakin's marriage to Padme, and he also knew that she was pregnant too. Really, he was the only person of the Jedi Order that Anakin had told any of that to, and the only reason Anakin told him any of it was because they were brothers. They trusted each other explicitly. Henry too liked Padme; like a little sister, really. They had even talked about him being the Godfather to the child; something which Henry had accepted wholeheartedly.

"The Chancellor is the key to many different things..." Henry said, secretly wishing that Anakin would go faster, but also not wanting them to get in any sort of wreck which would slow down their progress.

"We can't lose him..." Anakin agreed, spying the Senate building just up ahead.

Lowering the speeder, Anakin killed the engine and even before it came to a full and complete stop outside of the Senate building, both he and Henry were out and running inside. Up the lift they went, all the way to the very top, down a little hall and through a door. Slowing down to a brisk walk, both Henry and Anakin entered the Chancellor's Office to see the older man on the ground by the window; his back resting against the curvature of the window sill, while Jedi Master Mace Windu had his purple saber out and ignited as he advanced on the downed Chancellor.

Already the large window had been obliterated, causing Mace's robe to billow in the wind. Reaching the two men, Henry looked from one to the other. At that moment, Mace looked like the aggressor while Palpatine looked weak and for the most part helpless.

"You are under arrest, _my Lord...!"_ Mace Windu exclaimed. It was then that the dark skinned Jedi seemed to notice both Henry and Anakin, as he held out his free hand palm up to indicate that they should wait; that he had things under control.

"Anakin...Henry, I told you it would come to this. The Jedi are taking over!" Palpatine exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"The oppression of the Sith will never return!" Mace declared, "You have lost!"

"No!" Palpatine cackled in a way that made Henry almost want to cringe, "No, no! You will die!"

The Sith Lord's hands were lifted and all of a sudden blue arcs of lightning shot forth from fingertips, straight at Master Windu.

The Jedi Master; thinking quickly, managed to block the onslaught with his saber, but only just, as it seemed he was using the last of his reserves to do so.

"He's a traitor!" Palpatine declared, keeping up the energy directed at Mace.

Anakin and Henry looked from Jedi to Sith and back. Henry's mind was swimming. What should he do? He couldn't just turn on Anakin; no way, no how. Besides, it was Palpatine that needed to be saved! He had the knowledge after all! He...

" _He_ is the traitor, ahhhhh!" Mace replied, stepping forward and forcing his saber down so that the Chancellor was receiving the backsplash of his own energy.

"I have the power to save the one you love..." Palpatine said weakly, looking at Anakin; his body shaking, "And I have the power to help you return to Storybrooke..." Yellow eyes looked at Henry pleadingly.

"You both must choose!"

Henry's heartbeat quickened. Things were happening way too fast. It was now or never; decision time. It came down to this: Mace or Anakin. Which one would die? Henry felt knew all too well what would happen if Mace died, but if he had to choose between a Master and his own brother...?

"Don't listen to him!" Mace said, teeth gritted as he forced his saber down further, closer towards the weakening Chancellor.

"Don't let him kill me!" Palpatine pleaded, the sheer force and brightness of the lightning still shooting from his fingertips causing both Anakin and Henry to squint and lean back with their arm raised.

"I can't hold it any longer. I-I-I..." the Chancellor seemed to be faltering for words as his features started to relax a little.

"I'm too weak."

A few moments more passed before the Chancellor begged for help from both boys.

Lowering his arm, Henry looked to Anakin, who was also breathing hard as it seemed the Chancellor's strength waned.

The lightning bolts ceased before Mace stood up straight. "I'm going to end this once and for all!" He declared.

Knowing what that meant, Henry shook his head. "No! You can't!" he said, "He must stand trial!"

"He has control of the senate _and_ the courts! He's too dangerous to be left alive!" Mace shot back, glancing at Henry.

Right then and there, for Henry it did look like the tables had completely turned. Palpatine was weak and unarmed, yet that didn't seem to matter to the precious Jedi Master, who seemed some damn adamant on ending the man's life. The Jedi were all about peace but this...? This wasn't peace. This was cold, dead murder.

"Don't kill me...please...!" Palpatine begged, seemingly close to tears.

"It's not the Jedi way! He must live!" Anakin said, voice rising, gaze fixed on Mace.

Mace Windu kept his own gaze on Palpatine as he squared his shoulders, preparing for the final strike that would end all hostility and bring balance back to the Force.

"We need him!" Henry chimed in. He couldn't lose Palpatine; his only connection and hope of getting back home.

However, Mace Windu didn't reply. Instead, he lifted his purple lightsaber, preparing to slam it down in to the Sith Lord's chest.

It really was a split second decision, but seeing that movement, both Henry and Anakin acted out of pure instinct. "Nooo!" They both declared. Using the Force, they called their lightsabers to their hands in the blink of an eye and ignited them.

Henry struck first, his blade piercing through Mace Windu's side, while Anakin's own ignited blade severed Mace Windu's hand from his body.

Immediately the Jedi Master cried out in pain, clutching at his stump, as his lightsaber tumbled out of the broken window.

Palpatine grinned and unleashed another barrage of Force Lightning at the now helpless Jedi.

"POWER!" The older man exclaimed, yellow eyes on Mace.

While this was going on, Henry stared on in complete shock, eyes unable to leave the scene that was happening in front of him. His teacher, the great Jedi Master Mace Windu with no hand, lightning bolts all around him and coursing through him; eyes bulging in shock...and it was all because of him...

Still in shock, Henry's thumbed the power button on his saber, deactivating it as he took a step back.

"UNLIMITED POWER!"

The bolts continued for a few seconds before Mace was thrust out the window.

Henry couldn't tell if Mace had Force Repelled himself away or if the Emperor had Force Pushed him away. Either way it didn't matter. Mace was gone and...it was done. That's when it hit Henry like a shit ton of bricks. What the hell had he just done?!

He was supposed to change things! This wasn't supposed to happen! He had told himself a long time ago that things wouldn't have gotten this far but now...!

"What have I done?!" He heard Anakin declare.

Henry covered his own mouth, trying to keep his stomach contents in check as they seemed to want to come flowing from his mouth.

Backing away, he went to the far side of the room; back to Anakin and the soon to be Emperor as the Emperor rose to his feet and faced the now seated Chosen One.

"You are fulfilling your destiny Anakin," Palpatine said. "Become my Apprentice. Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force."

Anakin swallowed heavily, his stomach contents also threatening to come up. "I will do whatever you...a-ask..." he mumbled.

The Emperor's yellow eyes searched the young man's face as he mumbled, "Goooood," in that seductive way of his. He was like a snake slithering around his prey.

"Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her." Anakin begged. It seemed that he was still internally struggling with his decision. A part of him still couldn't believe what he had done and another part of him was telling him there was no going back.

"To cheat death, it's a power only one has achieved, but if we work together," Palpatine began, watching as Anakin slid from his seated position on to his knees, "I know we can discover the secret."

"I pledge myself..." Anakin stated, his face quite certain for a moment before he almost faltered, "to your teachings."

It brought the young lad back to the official ceremony he had gone through as a nine year old, when he had taken the Jedi Oath and had pledged himself to Master Jinn's teachings. Master Jinn! What must the old man think of him now?

"Good..." Palpatine soothed ever so softly, "Good!"

Bowing his head, Anakin waited for a few precious moments, listening to Palpatine's somewhat raspy breathing.

"The Force is strong within you!" The Emperor declared, "A powerful Sith you will become!"

Lifting his head, Anakin gazed at the Emperor, a look of hate filled glee filling those eyes of his.

"Henceforth you shall be known as Darth...Vader," The Emperor said.

Slowly, Anakin bowed his head in acceptance of the new name as he replied, "Thank you, my Master..."

"Rise..." the Emperor commanded, turning away from Anakin. It was then that the Emperor noticed he had all but forgotten something, or rather, someone.

Henry Mills was still in the far corner of the room, seemingly lost in his own thoughts; eyes not really focused on anything.

It would be all to easy to push him from the window but in full view of Anakin...

Under normal circumstances, Palpatine would just command Anakin to kill the other Jedi and be done with it, but right at that moment, the Sith realized that he could order no such thing.

Anakin and Henry had pretty much grown up together and as such, there would be no way that Anakin could follow through on an order like that, at least, not yet.

Almost as quickly as he realized he had a problem, a rather ingenious solution also came to the Emperor. The Sith Rule of Two. It was put in to place to insure the survival of the Sith, but perhaps it could be broken just this once...

Walking over to Henry, Palpatine lifted a hand and placed it on the boy's shoulder.

"I-I...killed him..." Henry whispered, still obviously in shock. Mace's death playing out over and over in his mind.

"He needed to be stopped," Palpatine said, "He would have killed me. You were simply fulfilling your destiny, too."

"Destiny?" Henry mumbled. What was his destiny? Did he even truly have one anymore? With Mace dead, the remaining Jedi would find out about it and he'd be cast out of the Order and hunted for the remainder of his life! Forget about going home! He would always be known as a Jedi Killer!

"Become my Apprentice, Henry. Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force..." Palpatine said.

Sniffling, Henry looked behind Palpatine to Anakin, who was watching the two of them closely; eyes filled with slight confusion.

"But...Ana...Lord Vader is your Apprentice..." Henry replied, reminding himself that Anakin was no longer Anakin anymore.

"Sometimes exceptions must be made!" Palpatine shot back in his seductive voice. "You and your brother are the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. Beings like this shouldn't be cast aside so easily. This is why I am willing to forego the Rule of Two. By now you must know Henry, that the Jedi will never take you back. You killed one of their own. They will hunt you down and destroy you...but if you come under my teachings, together we will defeat them and discover the secret of traveling the realms..."

A few moments went by before Henry slowly sank down to his feet, eyes remaining on Palpatine's face. The man had a point; a very good point in fact. The Jedi would never truly accept him now. This was the only way. He could never go back.

"I...I pledge myself to your teachings..." he said, eyes almost brimming with tears; the words he spoke tasting like ash in his mouth.

Grinning almost gleefully, the Emperor said, "Good! The Force is strong in you as well my son. A powerful Sith Lord you will also become! Henceforth you shall be known as Darth...Abaddon."

Graciously, Henry bowed his head in acceptance of the name and title. "Thank you, my Master," he said.

"Now...rise..." Palpatine commanded.

Rising back to his feet, Henry wiped the tears from his eyes as he glanced at Anakin who nodded at him with a soft, if not forced, smile.

"Because the Council did not trust the two of you my young apprentices, I believe you two are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot," Palpatine said; voice gravelly as he slid in to his dark Sith robe.

"When the Jedi learn of what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all of the senators."

"I agree," Anakin said, still standing where he was, watching Palpatine lift his hood and place it over his head. "The Council's next move will be against the Senate."

"Every single Jedi including your friend Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi," Palpatine glanced first at Anakin and then Henry, "is now an Enemy of the Republic."

"I understand Master," Anakin said, voice filling with regret. Even after everything, he couldn't picture his old Master as an enemy.

"I too understand, Master," Henry replied. He also couldn't picture Obi-Wan as an enemy. But, then again, Obi-Wan didn't support Palpatine.

"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed it will be civil war without end. First, I want the both of you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done Lord Vader, Lord Abaddon! Do not hesitate! Show no mercy!"

Henry and Anakin moved as one, going to stand shoulder to shoulder in front of the Emperor.

"Only then will you both be strong enough with the Dark Side to save Padme," yellow eyes looked to Anakin, "and begin your journey back home..." yellow eyes turned to look at Henry.

"What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?" Henry asked, watching Palpatine move to his desk and sit down in the chair.

"Their betrayal will be dealt with. Lord Vader, after you and your brother have killed all of the Jedi in the Temple, go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders."

Anakin bowed his head in understanding as Palpatine glanced at Henry.

"Lord Abaddon. Once you have finished at the Jedi Temple, go to the Horuset system, to the planet Moraband. It is the Sith's original homeworld. You must begin the training which I will set forth for you. Perhaps once there we will discover Lord Zithal's secret of creating portals to other worlds."

Henry bowed his head in acknowledgment. While he didn't particularly want to go on what amounted to be a field trip, he knew better than to question the Emperor.

"Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy!" Palpatine declared from his chair, "And...we shall have peace."


	22. Chapter Twenty One - Fallen in to Shadow

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Twenty One: Fallen in to Shadow_

The cool crisp night air of Coruscant bit at Henry's face as he marched side-by-side with his brother; the Jedi Temple looming straight ahead. After the Chancellor had dismissed them to wipe out the Temple, he had also assigned several legions of his best troops to go with them.

As he walked up the steps to the main gate of the Temple, Henry was greatly on edge. Being instructed to kill Masters, Padawans and the youngest Younglings...that was going to be the hard part. He had lived with these people for awhile now and they were sort of like family. Still, he had made a new commitment and he couldn't just shy away from it now. Besides, every single one of them in the Temple wouldn't hesitate to kill him once they found out what had happened, so what he was doing was self defense in a way. That was what he kept telling himself over and over. Yet, as he felt the firm, stone steps under his feet, he couldn't help but question his actions.

Yes, he had aided in the death of a Master, but if he explained things to the remaining Council, perhaps they would understand. Besides, Mace had been out of control, right? He had wanted to commit an act of murder instead of going through the justice system. If Henry laid all of his cards on the table, maybe just maybe the Council would be prepared to listen.

The only problem was the fact that the remaining Council members were off planet. They were out amongst the stars, fighting their own battles.

It wasn't only that, Henry realized. If he chose to remain with the Jedi; even after _everything_ he had not only _seen_ but _done_ , it would mean betraying Anakin. Could he do it? Continuing to walk up the stone steps, Henry kept picturing the sandy haired child that had been his brother, what seemed like a lifetime ago on Tatooine. My how time had changed them and not for the better. How had everything come to this? Had it been written from the start?

Nearing the top, Henry almost faltered. His heart was beating rapidly and his hands were sweaty with nervousness. He didn't want to do this; to kill all of the innocents inside. The children; young padawans included hadn't done anything wrong. Why did they have to die?

"Are we doing the right thing?" Henry asked in a voice that only Anakin could hear. It was clear that he was in emotional turmoil and very unsure of everything. "Brother? Our friends are in there; our family!"

"I know," Anakin replied in a soft voice. "The Chancellor's orders were clear though. Kill everyone. They are our enemy now, Henry. If we don't strike first, they will be sent out after us. The senate and the planet would be thrown in to chaos. We would be on the run for the rest of our lives. I will not have my wife living like that. She and the baby deserve a life of peace. _She_ deserves life. If I have to kill every last Jedi in the Temple so Padme can live, so be it."

"If that included me?" Henry asked, turning his head to look at Anakin. "If Palpatine thought me an enemy, would you have killed me?"

Stopping the procession, Anakin turned to face Henry. His brother's anguish and uncertainty were written all over his face. Palpatine would consider that unacceptable and would more than likely have Anakin eliminate the would be threat. If it were anyone else, Anakin wouldn't have hesitated to take out his lightsaber and run them through, but this was Henry. The brunette had been a part of his life for many years, ever since he had seen the lonely and dehydrated boy resting against the side of a building in Mos Espa. Henry was family, just like Padme was family. He had already lost his mother. He absolutely _could not_ lose the two of them. They were what kept him grounded.

"If you had stayed behind at the Temple…" Anakin paused and licked dry lips. "I could never kill you, Henry. You and Padme are all I have left. You and she and my unborn child are my world. I could never do anything to hurt any of you. What I…no… _we_ are doing tonight is not meant to hurt but to protect. We always protect our family, right?"

Henry swallowed his grief. Anakin was right after all. If they didn't put a stop to everything now, it would only get worse.

"How far do you plan on taking this?" He asked.

"I will not let Padme die. I will go as far as I have to in order to make sure that she and the baby stay safe. How far are _you_ willing to go, brother?" Anakin shot the question back at him. "What the Chancellor wants us to do will take us both down a dark path, one there may not be any coming back from. Are you with me?"

Henry licked his dry lips and took a breath. A voice in his head was telling him to walk away now; that he wasn't beyond redemption. What would his mother have wanted him to do? Henry believed that Emma would have wanted him to stay good and pure, but he wasn't twelve years old anymore. He had grown up. Besides, Emma wasn't here now and neither she nor Regina had been there at all for him in many years. They had abandoned him. So why should he listen to the voice of goodness in his mind even if it was the voice of his own mother?

Looking to the serine Jedi Temple off to his right, Henry studied it intently as if trying to burn it to memory. Finally he looked back at Anakin.

"As long as Padme stays safe," he began, "And I can finally find a way back home to Storybrooke and put _this_ nightmare behind me, I'll…I'll follow _you_ and the Chancellor to the end…no matter where it leads. I _am_ with you."

Smiling, Anakin embraced his brother for a moment. In that span of time there was no hatred at all in the air. It was as if what had transpired not forty five minutes earlier had happened at all.

"It's not going to be pleasant but we need to do what has to be done. We have to go in and empty the Temple." Anakin said as he released his brother.

Taking a deep breath, Henry let it out slowly as he pulled his own hood up as Anakin had done earlier. "I'm ready," he replied. "Let's just get this over with."

Setting his features and straightening his shoulders, he and Anakin began to walk again. With purpose they passed through the gate and marched right through the open doors.

Just inside the doors, both Henry and Anakin saw a Jedi master that looked like Qui-Gon with the tall stature and long hair plus grey in his beard.

"Anakin? Henry?" The Master asked, recognizing the two boys instantly, despite the fact that their hoods were up. The Master looked behind the boys to see the sheer number of clones behind them. "What is going on?" The Jedi Master's wary voice was enough to tell the boys that he was suspicious, and when they didn't answer, the Master took one more look at them, then the troops, before he took a step back and ignited his lightsaber.

So, this was it. _This_ was the point of no return. Not even bothering to slide out of his robe, Henry called his lightsaber to his hands and ignited it; Anakin doing the same.

At that moment it was as if the entire galaxy was holding its breath. Neither side moved, they both just stood there waiting for the other side to attack.

Henry almost spoke. He wanted to beg the old Master to put down his blade, but he felt that Sith didn't beg. But was he actually a Sith? He didn't feel like one even with the pledge he had made.

The clones rushed inside the building right behind them, their weapons already drawn. They didn't take in to account the fact that no one was moving. All they saw were drawn weapons and that was enough for them to start firing on the Jedi.

Right then it was on. Other Masters and Apprentices, seeing the battle that was just taking place, rushed to give aid, while the troopers took up their positions and continued firing at the approaching adults and young boys. Soon, the air was filled with grunts and screams of the injured and dying.

After dispatching with the first Jedi Master, Anakin went one way while Henry went another.

Henry battled his way effortlessly to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It was his favorite room in the Temple simply because it was so peaceful and beautiful. Not only that but he wanted to be able to see it one last time. Just as he arrived at the door, however, he felt a warning through the Force. Bringing his blade up in a defensive position, he easily blocked the weak attack a ten year old Initiate aimed at his mid section. In that moment, Henry didn't see the Initiate for what he was; a child. No, Henry saw the Initiate as an armed opponent, and opponents had to be eliminated.

Swiftly, Henry spun around and plunged his blade through the ten year old Initiate who was blocking the way inside the room.

Not sensing anyone else nearby, Henry stepped over the now limp body and in to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, making sure to shut and bar the door behind him. Alone, he deactivated his blue lightsaber and heaved a huge sigh; his hardened features falling as tears came to his eyes.

He felt so guilty about everything. Anakin's words and the feeling he was betraying everything he had once believed in battled in his mind. Henry felt so lost. He wanted help. He needed help.

"Henry?"

A young, feminine voice asked from behind a nearby statue.

"Rene!" Henry exclaimed, watching his best friend come closer to him. No! She was here! Why was she at the Temple?!

"You're alive!" Rene exclaimed, "What's going on out there? Why are the Clones attacking us? There are so many of them out there, we'll never make it out...! I hope you have a plan! You said you always have a plan!"

Henry studied the young woman who had finally come over to him. He had met her five years earlier during the battle at Geonosis when they had gone to help rescue Qui-Gon who had foolishly gotten himself captured by his old master, Dooku. Rene; though young, was a strong fighter, which was one of the things that Henry liked about her.

Standing there looking at her friend as the nervous Jedi stood right beside her, her smaller hands grasping her deactivated saber which was clipped to her belt.

Henry realized with a start that he would have to end her life. There was a big part of him that wanted to spare her, but none could survive. If he let her go then she would never trust him again, she'd hate him and perhaps she would even be sent to hunt him down. He couldn't allow that…could he?

Tears filled Henry's eyes as he wrapped his strong arms around Rene, giving her a warm, friendly, assuring hug. Everything was calm, quiet and perfect for one peaceful moment.

Gently, so Rene wouldn't feel anything, Henry took hold of his lightsaber and aimed it so that when it was activated, the blade would plunge itself through his friend's chest.

"If we get out of this, Henry, I'm not going to let you disappear again. What's happening now has made me realize what's really important: You. Hang the Code and hang the rules. No one should be able to control how we feel. I've wanted to tell you this ever since the war really started. I love you. I always have. I loved you from the moment I first saw you in the medical wing when you were thirteen." Rene said. She was baring her heart and soul to Henry, having no idea what he had done earlier.

Henry however was listening intently to Rene's words as he continued to hold on to his lightsaber; ready to flick the power button. The more his friend talked, the more he began to doubt himself. All of a sudden it was like his lightsaber weighed several thousand pounds. His grip on it wavered even as his eyes filled with tears.

"I can't do it!" He exclaimed, releasing Rene and dropping his lightsaber. Falling to his knees in front of his best friend, his body became wracked with sobs. He just couldn't kill her. Palpatine's orders were clear, but he couldn't follow them.

Seeing the weapon on the ground, Rene's eyes went wide. " You were going to kill me!" She exclaimed. Backing away from Henry, Rene turned to run as that was her first instinct. When she heard Henry's choked sobs, though, she stopped and glanced back at him. Henry looked so lost and in pain. He was vulnerable and yet she just couldn't hurt him. Biting her bottom lip, Rene pushed the feeling she had through the Force to the back of her mind as she approached her friend.

"What aren't you telling me?" She asked ever so softly. "Henry, what is it? You can tell me anything."

Still crying, Henry managed to lift his head and look at his friend. Fat tears rolled earnestly down his face uncontrollably as his bottom lip trembled.

"M-Master Windu…" he mumbled, voice breaking.

"What about Master Windu?" Rene asked, keeping her voice soft and understanding even though she had a feeling she wouldn't like what she would hear.

"He…he wouldn't listen. He…was going to kill the Chancellor!" Henry said.

Confused, Rene crinkled her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like Master Windu," she replied. "He wouldn't do something like that."

"Anakin and I were trying to get through to him but he wouldn't listen, and then we…we killed him…" Henry said, the admittance of that fact causing his own eyes to crinkle with more tears of grief.

"What?!" Rene exclaimed. Had she heard that right?

"The Chancellor is a Sith Lord, Rene. He's the one we've all been looking for…" Henry mumbled. He felt like he had to tell _someone_ the truth about Palpatine, even if it was too late to do anything about it.

"Henry," Rene began as she reached out and touched his arms, "What did you do?"

"I…joined him," Henry admitted. "After Master Windu was gone, Anakin and I, we both pledged ourselves to the Chancellor."

Rene sat back on her heels, observing Henry closely. She knew what 'joined' meant. Henry had pledged himself to the Dark Side, and yet here and now he seemed as far away from the Dark Side as one could be.

"Chancellor Palpatine ordered us; Anakin and myself to clear out the Temple. He told us to kill everyone; show no mercy…but I can't. I can't kill you! Those padawans too, they didn't do anything wrong!" Henry stated.

"We have to inform the Council, Henry. Master Yoda will know what to do!" Rene declared.

"It's impossible, Rene. Clones are everywhere and Anakin! They won't spare you if they see you!" Henry retorted.

"Then what do you propose we do?" She asked, looking at Henry.

Sniffling, Henry wiped the tears from his eyes as he thought about it. If he attacked the Clones then they would turn on him and word would get back to Anakin and the Chancellor. No, best to keep things going as long as he could. Maybe if he could pretend to give himself to the Dark Side long enough to get off planet, maybe he could contact his old Master if…

All of a sudden both Henry and Rene went pale as their hands went to their respective hearts. A call had gone out through the Force. A powerful presence was extinguished, and another followed soon after, and then another and another!

"They're dying…" Rene whispered. She wasn't talking about all of the lives lost in the Temple. No, she was referring to the Council members.

Shaking his head, Henry grabbed his fallen lightsaber with his right hand and Rene's right arm with his left hand. Smoothly he stood up, pulling her up as well.

"What are you going to do?" Rene asked.

"I am not going to let them get you. I am getting you out of here!" Henry replied. He led the way to the back entrance to the room. The Room of a Thousand Fountains in fact had several entrances and Henry knew them all.

"And then what? Henry, you can't take on that many Clones and your brother all by yourself." Rene pointed out.

"I'm not going to take them on. Right now they still think I am one hundred percent behind the Chancellor. If I can keep that charade going long enough, I can either get a message to Obi-Wan, if he's still alive, or I can kill the Chancellor and end this war. Either way, I don't want you to be caught up in it. I will get you to the docking bay. Find a ship, get off planet as fast as you can. Contact the Council if you can, let them know what's happened." Henry instructed.

"What about you?" Rene asked.

Reaching the farthest door, Henry reached out with the Force. He didn't sense anyone in the immediate vicinity. That was good news at least. Pushing the door open, he glanced out and then looked back at his friend.

"I will be staying here. I can't just abandon Anakin," he replied.

"Just promise me one thing, Henry. Promise me that you won't lose yourself to the Chancellor. Promise me you won't go Dark." Rene demanded, forcing Henry to stop as they had taken several steps in to the hall.

Henry glanced at Rene; looking in to her eyes. Gently, he smiled and gave her right cheek a gentle caress. Slowly he leaned in and did something he had never done before. He kissed Rene right on the lips; a soft kiss that was quickly reciprocated. Honestly it wasn't the time or place to be exploring those feelings, but Henry had wanted to do that at least once before the night was over.

"I promise…" he whispered.

Smiling, Rene allowed Henry to take her hand and lead her on.

Using the Force, the two Jedi managed not to run in to any clones. When they sensed them, they hid until the danger passed before they moved on. Sneaking by the Jedi Archives though, they both were taken by surprise when someone jumped out of the shadows, right in front of them, landing on the floor with a thud.

Igniting his lightsaber, Henry brandished it, ready to strike the thing until it showed its face.

"Librarian Naturo?" He asked.

The timid librarian got to her feet and upon seeing Henry and Rene, she let out a relieved sob.

"Thank the stars!" She exclaimed. "Master Mills, Knight Kariss! Clones are everywhere, attacking anyone they find!"

"We know! There's too many to fight. That's why I am trying to get Rene out of here." Henry explained.

"Please! Take me with you!" The librarian begged.

Henry was silent for a moment; perhaps for a little too long. Every second they delayed they risked getting caught and the, no, _his_ ruse failing. Yet, Liara Naturo was another innocent. He couldn't just leave her behind to die as well.

"Stay close and stay quiet," he instructed.

Moving on, they quietly went down several flights of steps and took two hidden tunnels that led to the hanger bay. The secret tunnels were known to a few; mostly Masters, but Henry had learned about them from Obi-Wan who had learned about them from Qui-Gon. It allowed for easy access to certain locations in the Temple, and it also provided a safe exit during times of need, such as the one they were in.

Sticking to the shadows, all Henry saw were a few troopers guarding the place. Concentrating, Henry lifted his right hand in the air. As he did so, the forms of all four troopers also lifted up, each one grasping at their throats as if they were choking. Smoothly he curled his hand in to a fist. In quick succession the crunching of bone filled the room for a second before all four clones went limp.

Lowering his hand, Henry released the now dead bodies to just fall on the floor. Turning to look at Rene and Liara, he thumbed towards the only transport in the bay: a starfighter. "Take it and go, the both of you. Don't come back to the Temple, it's not safe, and don't tell anyone about the tunnels. Soon they'll be crawling with clone troops. Anakin knows about the tunnels and by now he would have told the troopers."

The starfighter was a single pilot vessel, so two people would be tight and three would be impossible. They all knew that which was why Rene didn't beg him to go with them.

"I promise," Rene replied. "We'll get off planet and see if we can contact any survivors. You just…take care of yourself, okay?"

Moving over to Rene, Henry wrapped his arms around her and softly kissed her on the cheek, not caring that Liara saw them.

"I promise…" he whispered in her ear; voice soft like silk.

Slowly he released her and took a step back.

Rene studied him for a few extra moments as if trying to burn his face in to her memory. Finally she rubbed Henry's right arm and then headed for the starfighter with Liara in tow. Rene got in first, having the smaller librarian sitting on her lap. Within five minutes the starfighter lifted off and took to the skies.

Once they were away and safe, Henry headed back in to the Temple interior. By the Room of a Thousand Fountains he found several padawans taking on some of the clones. From the look of it the padawans were winning. What Henry _wanted_ to do was save the padawans, but he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't save everyone and keep up the rouse he was playing.

"Master Mills!" One of the padawans called when they caught sight of him.

Sighing, Henry took out his lightsaber and ignited it. Thinking about Palpatine and the last year, he felt himself getting angry. Anger was the key. He had to touch it and let it fill him without embracing it. He couldn't fully give in to him even though it's embrace was warm and inviting.

Stepping forward, Henry set his features and allowed the shadow of the Dark Side to fall over him. This had to be done.

Gripping his saber tight, he rushed the two padawans and after parrying both of their attacks, he swiftly thrust his saber in to them both, killing them instantly. Watching their bodies crumple to the ground, he had to fight the remorse that threatened to bubble up inside of him. He couldn't show any remorse and there could be no more mercy shown. He had to at least start acting like the Sith he was supposed to be training to be; at least for now. At least until he could get a message out. Hopefully that opportunity could come sooner rather than later.

…

Two more hours went by for the two brothers. They kept themselves busy, checking every room, every closet and any other potential hiding places. Anakin had the clones securing the tunnels, making sure none escaped and that no reinforcements could take them by surprise. A few others he sent up to the Archives to devise a message. The message would order all surviving Jedi back to the Temple. Those that came back would fall right in to a fatal ambush.

Sensing someone behind him, Henry quickly swiveled around and blocked the blow from Master Keela lightsaber.

Master Jada Xion Keela was the last of them; the last presence of light in the Temple.

"Is this what you wanted, Mills?" She ground out as she tried to land another blow. "To bring the Jedi to our knees?! The light of the Jedi will never be extinguished. Even now you have lost!"

Sensing Anakin nearby, Henry knew that he would have to watch what he said. He didn't want to have to kill the Jedi Master; he wanted to just submit to her, but that wasn't an option.

"I did what I had to!" He retorted, blocking yet another attack.

"Did you?!" Master Keela shot back with venom in her voice, "Did you have to kill every last Youngling? Every last Padawan learner?! You are nothing but a murderer! You have betrayed all of the teachings of the Jedi Code. All murderers have to be brought to justice! Surrender your blade!"

"Over my dead body!" Henry replied back. He knew that Master Keela was a hot headed individual. Everyone had said it in the past. The Council had even urged her to calm her ways and her temperament. She was skirting the Dark Side at times it seemed. It was probably why she had never taken on a Padawan of her own in quite some time.

"If that's the way it must be!" Master Keela retorted. "Someone has to pay for the crime committed here tonight!"

Gritting his teeth, Henry tightened his grip on his saber. He waited until Jada charged at him. Sensing where her blade was going to go, he bent over backwards and then rolled out of the way as the Master went right through where he had been moments before. Taking his lightsaber, Henry literally threw the blade at Master Keela, using the Force to guide it. Not three seconds later the blade pierced the Master's chest even as she had been turning to block it.

Crumpling to the ground, the dying Jedi barely saw Henry coming over to her.

"Sh-should never have allowed you to train…" she groaned out. "Knew it was a mistake. Always knew you'd turn. Knew it from the moment I first saw you…betrayer…"

Watching the Master's body go limp, Henry continued to stand there and stare.

He hadn't betrayed them, he hadn't! Yet…

Slowly, Henry looked down at his hands and even though they were physically clean, he could still see the blood of everyone he killed that day just dripping off of them.

' _Promise me you won't go Dark.'_

Henry heard Rene's request to him as clear as day.

' _The Jedi will never take you back. They will hunt you down and destroy you.'_

Palpatine's voice then came to mind. It was hard because they both seemed right!

' _Promise me you won't go Dark.'_

' _We would be on the run for the rest of our lives.'_ Anakin's voice filtered in to his mind.

' _Promise me!'_

' _You are nothing but a murderer!'_ Master Keela's statement then came to Henry's mind.

' _Promise!'_

' _Betrayed the teachings of the Jedi Code!'_

' _Promise!'_

' _Betrayer!'_

Had he really gone back on his promise? Yes he had rescued two innocents but that still didn't excuse everything else he had done that evening. It wasn't like Christmas Eve where good deeds counted for extra. Just as there was no Christmas in Narnia, there was no Christmas for Henry Mills. Even if he managed to contact Master Kenobi now, surely there was no explanation that could explain away what he had done.

Bowing his head, Henry whispered a soft, " I'm sorry," to Rene before he turned on his heels and left the area. He met Anakin at the foot of a wide staircase. The Sith had drying tears dotting his face, and his robe was seared in spots. Henry doubted he himself looked much better, but oh well. They weren't getting points for style.

"It's done..." Henry commented, eying the dead around them.

"Yes..." Anakin agreed, also eying the dead Jedi on the ground; specifically the young children. "The troopers will finish up; double check that they all are dead. We should..."

Henry understood the unspoken request. It was time to get out and away. Their old home was gone and it wasn't coming back, not after everything they had done.

"Not yet..." Henry said, looking at his brother, "I can't leave Baelfire."

It took a moment but eventually Anakin nodded his head.

They went to Henry's apartment. He had a few items that he wanted to get: clothes, pictures, pieces of a second lightsaber that he had been working on in his free time; among other things. Those things, as well as the necklace that his father Neal had given him, and the iPod, makeshift earbuds, and the recharging station couldn't be left behind.

Taking those items, he shoved them in to a small pack. He was about to leave the apartment when he heard the pattering of little feet just before little Baelfire came tromping in. Baelfire! He couldn't forget about his dog! Henry had already killed countless Jedi that evening, there was no way that he could do the same thing to his beloved Baelfire; even if his Master might want him to. When it came to his dog, Palpatine could just forget it!

Taking the time to pack up all of Baelfire's food, dishes, toys, leash and bed, Henry then grabbed his own things and carried them all out of his apartment. Side-by-side he walked with his brother; Baelfire at their heels, through the Temple and down the long flight of stone steps. Neither of them wanted to step foot in the Temple again. The faces of the deceased still ripe in both of their minds.

Smoothly they made their way to the nearby spaceport. It was only then that they both glanced back to see black smoke pouring from the Temple.

Not saying a word for a moment, Henry shouldered his pack; keeping it hidden under his robe while he held on to the other bag with Bae's things.

"Good luck brother," he said, not sure if he should address Anakin by his given name or his Sith name.

"And to you..." Anakin replied, turning away from the temple.

"What will you do now?" Henry asked, still not taking a step towards the transports and ships just sitting there.

"I have to go see Padme..." Anakin replied, "After that I will fulfill my Master's wish; go to Mustafar and deal with Gunray and the Separatists. You?"

At first Henry didn't reply. He didn't know what he was going to do! Should he hop in his starfighter, get off world and try and contact the surviving Jedi if there were any? It was what he had told Rene he'd do when he got the chance. The thing with that was the Jedi might kill him outright and it would be no less than he deserved. He was a monster; at least that was how he felt.

"Do as our Master has commanded, I suppose." He finally replied. "But…I won't be searching for information on Darth Zith'al. It's clear to me now brother, what we did, it went against everything I believed in, or thought I believed in. My mother wanted me to stay on this straight and narrow path; the path of good. But I've fallen off of that path. I'm a villain now and villains...don't belong in Storybrooke..."

"So, you aren't even going to look for the power to open up a portal?" Anakin asked. "That was all you ever really wanted."

"I know but...not now. Storybrooke doesn't deserve me and I don't deserve it anymore. Everything I fought for, everything I believed in when I first came here, I've betrayed it all. I've betrayed everything that Storybrooke ever stood for. Mom was the Savior and me? I _was_ a believer but...not anymore. I've chosen my path brother, and I have to live with my choices. There's no going back anymore...at least not for me." Henry said.

Anakin nodded his head in sympathy and understanding.

Quickly the two brothers shared a quick hug; something that was very un sith like, before they parted ways, each heading towards their own destiny and the consequences that came with it.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two - Darkness and Light

**Lost in the Shadows**

 _Chapter Twenty-Two: Darkness and Light_

Order 66 was executed in quick succession. Many of the Jedi all over the galaxy were taken by surprise when their own clone troopers turned on them. For most, their death was swift, if not painful. For others, they lasted maybe a few moments more. Three Masters however were able to sense the extreme shift in the Force as a swift and almost overpowering kick in the gut and a tight grasp on their heart and souls. It was this feeling that saved the lives of Jedi Master's Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Each of them managed to take out their newfound aggressors just as they turned. Well, at least Qui-Gon and Yoda did. Obi-Wan had a harder time of it because after being shot down out of the sky, he had been forced to lie low until he could get back to his ship and escape the world of Utapau.

Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan was able to get in contact with Master Yoda first, who then reached out to Qui-Gon and finally Obi-Wan, the three masters meeting on Bail's ship to discuss what happened. It was a heartbreaking ordeal, but it was decided by all to return to Coruscant. A message that was being broadcast from the Jedi Temple ordered every single surviving Jedi to report back there. The Masters knew this broadcast was a trap for any remaining Jedi, which was why they had decided to go back to the Temple and change the message, warning any and all survivors to stay away.

Getting back to Coruscant was the easy part. Upon entry in to the atmosphere, Bail was contacted and told of an emergency meeting of the Senate that was to begin soon. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the meeting would be about, which was why all of the Jedi Masters kept silent until the ship had touched down. After the ship docked, the three Jedi Masters snuck off as silently as they could. They needed to be quick and quiet. The biggest question in all of their minds was who: who could have done the most unspeakable of crimes?

Any hope however of anyone inside surviving the attack was crushed after the three masters dispatched all of the remaining troopers stationed just outside the Temple.

The Battle was rough but in the end all of the white armored troopers lay dead on the ground, smoke pouring from their armor, while Yoda, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan strode in to the Temple to survey the damage and get to the central security station where the beacon that broadcast the message was housed. They moved with grace and stealth, keeping an eye out for any more troopers, but everything was still and quiet.

Eventually they all stopped in front of a group of small children, who had all been cut down together.

"Not even the Younglings survived..." Obi-Wan commented, throat closing up for a second as he eyed the dead children; their deactivated lightsabers lying by still, small hands.

"Killed not by clones," Yoda's gravelly voice softly replied, "This...padawan..." the Master's voice broke for a moment, "By a lightsaber he was."

It was true! All of the surrounding bodies didn't have the injuries associated with blaster fire. The injuries were relatively small and precise. Only a lightsaber could have been that specific.

"But who?" Obi-Wan asked, kneeling down to get a better look at the bodies, "Who could have done this?"

He felt a warm, almost reassuring hand on his shoulder; something that his old Master hadn't done in a long time.

"Come, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon said, "Every second we waste here is a second another Jedi perishes. There is nothing more that can be done for them. They are One with the Force now."

"Correct, Qui-Gon is. Time for grieving it is not." Yoda said, gathering his own emotions and stowing them away for the time being.

Once Obi-Wan had regained his footing, they all proceeded to the central security room. Upon arrival, Qui-Gon went about finding the coding for the transmission, and once it was found, Obi-Wan; who was the better programmer of the three, went about recoding it.

It was a long and delicate process. The code was quite complex and every line had to be perfect or someone would know it had been tampered with. It was specifically set up that way ions ago to make what they were trying to do difficult if not impossible, but Obi-Wan was the Master of Impossible; at least that was the nickname his padawan, Henry, had given him years ago, because of his knack of getting them out of seemingly impossible situations.

After a few hours it was done.

"I have re calibrated the code, warning all surviving Jedi to stay away," he said, looking over at the two Masters, while the code remained displayed in the air in front of his hands.

"For the clones to discover the recalibration, a long time it will take." Yoda said, certainty in his gravelly voice.

Nodding his head, Obi-Wan hit the 'accept changes' protocol and then closed the panel. He made his way back in to the security room's anti chamber, but instead of heading towards the exit which would have taken them back in to the corridors of the Temple, he headed towards a security camera screen.

"Wait, Masters, there is something I must know..." he said, gently calling the older Jedi to wait for him.

As one, Yoda and Qui-Gon stopped and turned around, watching Obi-Wan approach the panel.

"If in to the security recordings you go, only pain will you find," Yoda warned, his voice soft and broken. It was almost as if the old Master already knew who had done it.

"I must know the truth, Master..." Obi-Wan replied. He was well aware of his old padawan's feelings, and he remembered all too well Henry's demeanor during their last parting. Even so, surely Henry wouldn't have strayed _that_ far from the Path of the Jedi Order, surely not in that small span of time.

Activating the display, almost immediately it began to play back a recording of Jedi Knights talking. Hitting a button, Obi-Wan began to fast forward the display until he saw something bright. Tapping the 'play' button, his heart immediately sunk when he saw a lightsaber ripping through a young padawan. The lightsaber belonged to none other than his own apprentice, Henry!

Covering his mouth in shock, Obi-Wan then heard a collective intake of air when another person joined Henry on the display. It was Anakin! Both Jedi fought side-by-side, dispatching Jedi left and right before they both headed off in different directions.

"It can't be..." Obi-Wan breathed out, in shock at what he had just seen.

Switching to another security camera; one that was stationed in the Chancellor's office, they all watched the events unfold: Mace's death and how that happened, with Henry and Anakin attacking the Jedi with their sabers and Palpatine finishing him off. Then came the hard part:

" _I pledge myself..." Anakin stated, his face quite certain for a moment before he almost faltered, "to your teachings."_

" _Good..." Palpatine soothed ever so softly, "Good!"_

 _Bowing his head, Anakin waited for a few precious moments, listening to Palpatine's somewhat raspy breathing._

" _The Force is strong within you!" The Emperor declared, "A powerful Sith you will become!"_

 _Lifting his head, Anakin gazed at the Emperor, a look of hate filled glee filling those eyes of his._

" _Henceforth you shall be known as Darth...Vader," The Emperor said._

 _Slowly, Anakin bowed his head in acceptance of the new name as he replied, "Thank you, my Master..."_

" _Rise..."_

Watching that part alone was enough to upset Obi-Wan, as he remembered his old Master's assurance and belief that Anakin was the Chosen One who would bring balance to the force! This however! How was this bringing balance?!

"Oh Anakin..." Obi-Wan heard Qui-Gon softly cry.

Allowing the playback to continue, Obi-Wan watched Palpatine turn to Henry.

" _I-I...killed him..." Henry whispered, still obviously in shock. Mace's death playing out over and over in his mind._

" _He needed to be stopped," Palpatine said, "He would have killed me. You were simply fulfilling your destiny, too."_

" _Destiny?" Henry asked._

" _Become my Apprentice, Henry. Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force..." Palpatine said._

" _But...Ana...Lord Vader is your Apprentice..." Henry replied, reminding himself that Anakin was no longer Anakin anymore._

" _Sometimes exceptions must be made!" Palpatine shot back in his seductive voice. "You and your brother are the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. Beings like this shouldn't be cast aside so easily. This is why I am willing to forego the Rule of Two. By now you must know Henry, that the Jedi will never take you back. You killed one of their own. They will hunt you down and destroy you...but if you come under my teachings, together we will defeat them and discover the secret of traveling the realms..."_

 _A few moments went by before Henry slowly sank down to his feet, eyes remaining on Palpatine's face. The man had a point; a very good point in fact. The Jedi would never truly accept him now. This was the only way. He could never go back._

" _I...I pledge myself to your teachings..." he said, eyes almost brimming with tears._

 _Grinning almost gleefully, the Emperor said, "Good! The Force is strong in you as well my boy. A powerful Sith Lord you will also become! Henceforth you shall be known as Darth...Abaddon."_

 _Graciously, Henry bowed his head in acceptance of the name and title. "Thank you, my Master," he said._

" _Now...rise..." Palpatine commanded._

Obi-Wan Kenobi's stomach churned. He wanted to shut it off the security screen. How? How could his padawan have done that?! Where had he gone wrong in his teachings? Obi-Wan was still in a state of shock as his fingers moved to shut the screen down. Accidentally his fingers brushed another button which caused the screen to change to that of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The date? Just a few hours ago. Playback commenced without command. On screen the door opened to show Henry Mills walking in, barring the door behind him.

Finger hovering over the 'off' button, Obi-Wan almost hit it when he heard his padawan heave a sigh on screen. It was a sigh that he had heard many times before. It told him that Henry was greatly upset and it was enough to convince the Jedi Master to keep watching the playback.

Watching Rene Kariss walk on screen, Obi-Wan's heart fell, especially after he watched Henry take hold of his lightsaber, seemingly poised to ignite it and end Knight Kariss' life. Just when Obi-Wan expected Henry to ignite the saber, he did something unexpected! He dropped it!

Brow scrunching, Obi-Wan leaned in closer to the screen, placing a hand on his chin as he studied the video.

He watched Henry drop to his knees, Rene back up and nearly run away only to stop and go back to Henry. Obi-Wan then turned up the volume and listened to all of the dialog spoken between the two. After roughly ten minutes the pair left the room and the video ended.

Shutting off the security camera, Obi-Wan just stood there silently. At first glance he had been so certain that his padawan had gone down the Path of Darkness along with his brother, but that last clip had him doubting his convictions. It seemed as if Henry wasn't completely sold on his pledge and that told Obi-Wan there was still hope.

"Destroy the Sith. We. Must." Yoda said, emphasizing the last two words.

Obi-Wan looked at the wise Master, and then to his own old Master who bowed his head for a moment before squaring those shoulders of his seemingly in acceptance of what Yoda had said. All those years ago he had been so adamant about Anakin being allowed to train as a Jedi despite his age, and now it seemed as if the older Master was willing to just toss that fact aside!

Slowly, Obi-Wan walked over to Master Yoda and Qui-Gon. He already knew from the tone in the green Jedi's voice that there wasn't much room for negotiation. Still, he had to try. That video; the way Henry hesitated, not to mention the conversation between his old padawan and Rene Kariss told Obi-Wan what he felt in his heart and through the Force: There was still good in Henry. The lad had just become lost in the shadows of the Dark Side. Could they just turn their backs on him without trying to turn him back towards the Light?

"Masters," Obi-Wan began politely. "There is still good in Henry. I can feel it. More so, the security hologram verifies that fact. Yes, Henry's actions today have been very grievous, but I believe that he can be turned back."

"Faith in your old padawan, misplaced maybe. Once you start down the dark path…" Yoda began.

"Master, I understand. Still, I wish to try." Obi-Wan shot back.

"Then try, Obi-Wan. However, if he cannot be swayed, then you must be willing to do what you may have to." Qui-Gon interjected.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied with a bow of his head, echoing the acknowledgment he had used to say what seemed like a very long time ago.

"To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not, Master Qui-Gon." Yoda abruptly interjected, turning his attention to the taller Master.

Qui-Gon grimaced. He knew he shouldn't be shocked that Grand Master Yoda knew what he had been about to ask. Really, it was one of the only things on his mind. If Obi-Wan had to actually go after his padawan to kill him, Qui-Gon was positive that the younger Master would have begged Yoda to let him go after the Chancellor as well.

"I just don't think…" Qui-Gon began. He paused. He really didn't want to go after Anakin. It was like his nightmare from long ago come back to haunt him. He had lost his first apprentice to the Dark Side. It was why he had been so reluctant to take Obi-Wan as his next apprentice, yet Obi-Wan had remained both faithful and true…for the most part. And then there was Anakin. Anakin was supposed to be The Chosen One of prophecy. The Chosen One was supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!

"Twisted by the Dark Side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is, Master Qui-Gon, consumed by Darth Vader," Yoda replied as he turned to head for the door.

Sensing that the conversation was almost over, Obi-Wan spoke up.

"I do not know where the Emperor has sent him, Master. I don't know where to look!" He of course was referring to his own padawan. How was he expected to track down Henry? The galaxy was a very big place, especially if someone didn't want to be found.

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him you will." Yoda replied.

Exiting the temple, all three Jedi drew their hoods up over their faces, to hide their appearance from the world. Who knew what lies the Emperor would spout to the Senate and thus the people. They needed to protect themselves.

While Yoda made his way towards the Senate to confront the Emperor, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon paused in an alley close to the Jedi Temple to talk things through. Neither of them particularly liked the idea of killing their own padawans. Hopefully both boys could be made to see the error of their ways and return to the Light.

"Anakin and Henry were extremely close," Obi-Wan began, trying to work things through, "So it goes without saying that they both should know where the Emperor sent the other. And, Anakin was close to one other..."

"Senator Amidala..." Qui-Gon agreed.

They both knew that Anakin had had a crush on the young Senator since he had been nine years old. While it had been hoped that Anakin would grow out of that infatuation since attachment was forbidden by the Jedi, but maybe he hadn't after all.

 _. . . . ._

As quickly as they could without arousing suspicion, the two Jedi went to Senator Amidala's home. She seemed shocked and wary to see them, as if she didn't trust them. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon noticed this almost immediately, but they said nothing about it.

"We are looking for Anakin and Henry, when was the last time you saw either of them?" Obi-Wan explained, following after the Senator as she led them over to a long couch, bidding them to sit down.

"I saw Anakin yesterday..." she replied, voice guarded.

"Do you know where either of them are?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No..." Padme replied, sounding somewhat distant and distracted.

"Padme, we need your help. Anakin is in grave danger; both boys are." Obi-Wan pleaded.

Hearing that, Padme abruptly turned around to look at him. "From the Sith?" she asked.

"From himself..." Qui-Gon replied. He paused for a moment, not really wanting to say this but knowing that he had to.

"Padme," he said ever so softly, "Anakin...and Henry...have turned to the Dark Side."

"You're wrong! How could you even say that?!" Padme shot back, not wanting to believe it. How dare they suggest that her loving husband had turned to the Dark Side?! Sure, Anakin had been having a lot of restless nights lately but surely that couldn't mean he had turned Dark!

Shoulders slumping, Obi-Wan's face dropped as his mind immediately went back to the security hologram he had seen earlier.

Walking past the Senator, he said, "I have seen a security hologram of the two of them...killing younglings..." Almost immediately he had to cover his own mouth to keep a sob from escaping as his mind recalled the empty faces of the dead on the Temple floors.

"Not Anakin!" Padme shot back, saying nothing of Henry, "He couldn't!"

"They were deceived by a lie, Padme, we all were." Qui-Gon said, giving his former padawan time to recover.

Padme glanced at the older Jedi as he continued to speak.

"Padme, the Chancellor is behind everything that has happened, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we have been looking for."

"After the death of Count Dooku, both Anakin and Henry became his new apprentice," Obi-Wan interjected, seemingly having gathered his emotions at least for the present.

"I don't believe you!" Padme declared, slowly sitting down on the couch, "I can't..."

Her voice had grown soft as it became apparent that there was a struggle going on inside of her. Everything they were saying made sense. Anakin had been spending a lot of time with the Chancellor. Could it really be true though? Is the Chancellor really a Sith Lord and did her love really join him?

Gently, Obi-Wan sat down on one side of her, while Qui-Gon sat down on the other side.

"Padme," Qui-Gon began, "I must find him..."

The senator wasn't staring at anything. Her eyes were open but she was reliving the last conversation she had had with her husband. How could she have not see it before? Anakin had changed; grown angry, but she had thought it was just stress over everything! Could it really have been more than that?

"M-Moraband..." she whispered, looking at Obi-Wan. "Anakin said that Henry was going to Moraband..." Next, she looked at Qui-Gon and said, "But I won't tell you where Anakin is. You are going to kill him if I tell you." It was the only reason she could think of as to why the two Jedi would want to know their locations. For Henry, yes Padme had grown fond of him, but she didn't have the same feeling of protection for him that she had for her husband. It was that reason alone that she gave up the location that Anakin had given to her before he had left for Mustafar.

"Anakin has become a very great threat..." Qui-Gon said.

After a moment Padme still shook her head and whispered, "I can't..." She wouldn't betray her husband.

Sighing, Qui-Gon nodded his head and signaled to Obi-Wan that the meeting was over. It was clear that they wouldn't get anything more from the Senator. Rising from their seats, the two Jedi began to head towards their transport which was docked just outside; a transport that they had stolen from a lot near the Temple.

Stopping, Qui-Gon turned back to Padme and asked, "Anakin is the father, isn't he?"

Padme had been pregnant for just shy of nine months. Nothing had ever been said about a father but now it made sense. The look on Padme's face however was enough to tell Qui-Gon that he was right in his assessment, even if the Senator said nothing.

"I'm so sorry..." he said before he turned and joined Obi-Wan at the transport.

Climbing in to the speeder, they both left the Senator's apartment and joined the flow of traffic as they began to plot where they were going to go next. For Obi-Wan it was relatively easy as he had an actual location: Moraband. It was the Sith's original homeworld. He had never been there before but he knew of the place and what it held. Fighting Henry there, it wasn't something he looked forward to, but if that was where the Emperor sent him, then that was where he had to go.

Qui-Gon on the other hand had a plan. It was clear to him that Padme did indeed know where her husband was, but was unwilling to divulge the location. Believing that they had struck up enough doubt within the Senator, that she would at least seek her husband out, really all he needed to do was board her ship and hide and let her do all of the leg work. It was really the only way he could think of to track Anakin down.

"I still do not know if I can do this, Master..." Obi-Wan said as they continued to move along. For all his hope that Henry would listen to reason, there was still a seed a doubt in Obi-Wan's mind that things would not go as planned.

"I know how you feel, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied. "When Xanatos turned, I thought my world had ended. After everything I had taught him, for him to turn to the Dark Side, I myself felt lost and alone. It was one of the reasons I was so reluctant to take you on as apprentice. I didn't want to fail you as well. But you proved me wrong, Obi-Wan. You have become a great Jedi Master and friend. For Anakin and Henry...I don't believe that they are inherently evil. They have just become tangled in the web of lies from the Emperor. I believe that they can be turned back towards the light..."

Hearing this, Obi-Wan nodded his head. He truly hoped so. It was his first course of action after all; try to convince Henry to turn back. Then and only then, if Henry refused, would he seek to destroy his apprentice; his brother.

"I hope you are right, master..." Obi-Wan replied.

"As do I," Qui-Gon replied.

Obj-Wan piloted the speeder down to where the interstellar transports were docked, including the Senator's shiny J Type Naboo Star Skiff. Docking the speeder, Obi-Wan climbed out and pulled his hood back over his head.

"Good luck, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon bid his apprentice, who inclined his head and replied, "And you Master," before the younger Jedi began to head to the smaller, single seat transports.

Neither Jedi was worried about Obi-Wan getting off planet, because it would only be too easy to use a Jedi Mind Trick on the weak minded human who ran that particular location.

After making sure that Obi-Wan got off planet, Qui-Gon lifted his own hood to cover his face before he quietly snuck on to the Senator's skiff and found a hiding place in a luggage compartment, to wait for his inevitable confrontation with his wayward apprentice: Anakin Skywalker.


End file.
